Avatar: Flare of Redemption
by The Lost Samurai
Summary: If Katara was being honest with herself, Zuko seemed drastically different than when he had left her unconscious in the Spirit Oasis just hours ago. "I know you need to end this war," he said to Aang, his voice warped with an incomprehensible resolve that sent shivers down her spine. "I only hope that when the time comes, you'll do what needs to be done." Time Travel AU.
1. A New Dawn

Summary: If Katara was being honest with herself, Zuko seemed drastically different than when he had left her unconscious in the Spirit Oasis just hours ago. "I know you need to end this war," he said to Aang, his voice warped with an incomprehensible resolve that sent shivers down her spine. "I only hope that when the time comes, you'll do what needs to be done." Time Travel AU, Zuko Centric.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar, the Last Airbender.

* * *

Chapter I: A New Dawn

Uncle always said he didn't think things through. As Zuko made his way through the arctic tundra, dragging an unconscious, glowing airbender behind him, he couldn't help but agree, within the privacy of his own thoughts of course. It wouldn't be the first time he secretly agreed with his uncle's wisdom, but didn't voice it, even while alone. Even his _proverbs_ seemed to horrifyingly make sense from time to time, once everything calmed down and Zuko actually had time to think about the clusterfuck he'd just lived through.

He resolved not to think about that as he continued trudging through the blizzard, desperately using his breath of fire to keep warm, the Avatar blissfully unaware of everything.

Then, all of a sudden, he collapsed into the snow, not out of exhaustion, but out of a mind-numbing, soul-wrenching pain, the origins of which he could not fathom. He felt as if a foreign presence was taking root in his mind, invading his thoughts and merging with his consciousness, as if to alter everything that he was. Even as he tried to fight the sensation, he realized it was futile, and before long, he stopped struggling, and embraced the newfound change with a quiet, serene acceptance.

He looked down at his hands as a whiff of fire escaped his mouth. Then he froze, as if registering that he had just let go of something in order to do so. Looking down at the Avatar's unconscious form, a million thoughts ran through his mind, but one took precedence over all others.

 _Why can't things ever be easy?_

Uncle always said he didn't think things through. He couldn't help but think that he could hardly be blamed this time.

* * *

As Katara, Sokka, and Yue followed Zuko's tracks, something which was exceedingly difficult to do in the blizzard, Katara fought down her urge to panic. _There's nowhere he can go,_ she told herself. _We'll find him eventually._ Still, the thought did little to comfort her. Aang was alone out in the blizzard with the Prince of the Fire Nation, because she had let said prince take him right out from under her nose. Well, it wouldn't happen a second time. This time, she would win.

"Stop," Sokka's voice called out, halting them in their tracks. Her older brother wore a puzzled frown as he surveyed the tracks they'd been following. "This doesn't make sense," he muttered.

"What is it?" Katara asked impatiently.

"The tracks stop here," Sokka replied in frustration.

" _What?_ That can't be right! Look harder!"

"It's true! The boy insisted. "The tracks reverse direction briefly here, but then they just disappear! There's nothing else, just a bunch of melted snow where he probably vented his frustration or something. It's like he up and flew away!"

"Where do you think he would have gone?" Yue asked.

"Well, that's the thing about the Jerky Prince. Once he gets desperate, he'll do anything, whether or not he has a plan. Going out into this blizzard was not a good move, strategically, but that's exactly what he did."

Katara thought for a moment, before Yue's voice interrupted him. "What if he just came out here to throw us off? If he covered his tracks somehow, he probably wants us to tire ourselves out in the blizzard. Maybe he's back in the city?"

Sokka frowned. "But there are too many waterbenders there," he pointed out.

"In the middle of fighting against the siege," Yue reminded him. "He could plausibly slip through in the chaos."

Sokka's eyes widened. "Yue's right. If he gets back to a Fire Nation ship with Aang, they could take him straight to the Fire Nation, whether or not the siege fails!"

Katara was horrified. "How could we have not thought of this _sooner?_ " she screeched.

"Hey, don't blame me!" Sokka yelled, his voice rising several octaves. "Zuko usually isn't that crafty! I thought he was being stubborn like usual, I didn't think he'd actually have a plan like that!"

"We have to get back," Yue said. "He can't go anywhere if he's out here, but if he's back in the city, this could become a lot harder."

Sokka nodded. "We'll start back at the Spirit Oasis and work it out from there."

* * *

As Aang awoke from his Spirit World journey to find himself back at the Spirit Oasis, he jumped to his feet and started looking around for Katara.

"Katara, where are you? We've got huge trouble!"

"You're telling me," came a frighteningly familiar voice from behind him.

Aang whirled around in shock to meet the eyes of Zuko, the banished Fire Nation Prince.

"And your girlfriend's not here," he saw fit to add.

Ignoring the girlfriend jab, Aang mustered his best glare. "Well where is she?" he asked determinedly.

Zuko stopped to consider that. "Probably out in the blizzard looking for us," he replied finally.

" _Us_?" Aang echoed.

"Well you, mostly. Me, simply so she can bury me under about a hundred feet of snow, I'd imagine."

Aang groaned as the situation he had awoken to finally dawned on him. Zuko had taken him from Katara while he'd been in the Spirit World, only to lead her on a wild goose chase before coming back here. That was actually a pretty good plan, not that he'd admit it.

"Look we don't have time for this! The Moon Spirit is in danger!"

"From Zhao, I know," Zuko replied, preemptively stopping Aang's prepared rant about how this was more important than the two of them, or even the Siege of the North.

"You know?" he repeated dumbly.

"I...figured it out earlier. That's why we're still here. I'd like to propose a truce, at least until this is over."

Aang eyed him warily. "Is that why you still have my arms and legs tied?" he asked, indicating his bound wrists.

Zuko blinked. "You know, I actually forgot about that. Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind lately." The scarred prince stepped behind Aang, who fought down his urge to flinch as his enemy of many occasions formed a dagger out of fire and easily burned through the ropes around his wrists and ankles.

Aang couldn't help but smile. Maybe they could actually save the Moon Spirit with Zuko helping! Things were starting to look up for once.

"Get _away_ from him!"

 _Or not._ Aang had just enough time to hear Zuko grumble something that sounded like, "Great, just what I needed," before a wave of water collided with the prince, pinning him and freezing him to the wall.

"Katara, wait, it's ok!" he shouted as the waterbender formed multiple ice daggers and pointed them at Zuko. "He's on our side!"

Katara started sputtering. "On our _side_? ON OUR SIDE!?" That jerk knocked me out cold and kidnapped you before leading us in a circle through a blizzard!"

Aang shot Zuko a look, and was surprised to see the prince actually looking rather sheepish at the reminder. He turned back to Katara.

"Well, that was before. We made a truce until the siege is over. See?" he showed Katara his freed wrists. Katara's eyes moved towards the fallen rope on the ground, before narrowing as they moved back to Zuko.

"How do we know we can trust him? The siege didn't stop him before," she spat.

"Worry about that later," Aang beseeched. "The Moon Spirit is in danger, and we can't fight amongst ourselves at a crucial time like this."

"Are you kidding? What makes you think the Jerkbender cares about the Moon Spirit?" Sokka asked incredulously.

Zuko twitched at the familiar term "jerkbender," but answered nonetheless. "The entire world is affected by the moon, not just the Water Tribes," the prince reasoned. "I don't want to die any more than you do."

Sokka still looked suspicious, but he must have realized that was as reasonable an explanation as any. He turned to Katara and shrugged.

The girl was having an inner battle. On one hand, she didn't trust Zuko. Plus, she was still fuming at Zuko and wanted to pay him back. On the other hand, if they fought here in the Spirit Oasis, whatever was threatening the Moon Spirit could go unchecked. She reluctantly lowered her arms from their bending position, and the ice daggers fell to the ground.

"I'll trust you this one time," she said, facing Zuko. "But if you even think about betraying us, I promise you won't even get the chance."

Zuko smirked. "Fine with me," he said, before fire burst from his every pore, melting the ice encasement around him in less than a second. "But I'm holding you to that," he informed her as he walked up to the group.

Katara's glare almost made him wince. Almost.

"So why is the Moon Spirit in danger anyway?" Katara asked, her tone icy.

"Zhao found out the secret of Tui and La," Zuko stated seriously. "He means to slay the moon so that all waterbenders will lose their ability to bend."

"That's...just crazy," Sokka commented, causing Katara to give a weak nod as Yue paled.

Aang was staring at Zuko strangely. "How do you even know all that? I had to go to the Spirit World just to figure that out!"

Zuko shot him a smug smile. "I know everything, Aang," he replied cryptically. Aang turned away and grumbled something about stingy princes not telling him things.

"Wait," Sokka said suddenly. "Did you just call him _Aang_?"

Katara also froze at the revelation, giving Zuko an odd look. The prince simply shrugged.

"That's his name, isn't it?" he asked rhetorically as he walked away. "Keep guarding the koi fish. Make sure _no one_ gets near that pond," he instructed. "I'm going to find my uncle and tell him what's going on."

He left the oasis, leaving a stunned silence behind him.

"Did he just call you _Aang_?" Sokka repeated.

* * *

As a stroke of luck, when Zuko found his uncle, the old man was already making his way over to the Spirit Oasis. Zuko quickly announced his presence by intercepting a twin pair of water whips that was being sent towards the only real family he had left.

"Uncle, it's Zhao," Zuko said without preamble. "He's going to try to kill the Moon Spirit."

Iroh's expressions hardened, and Zuko knew he'd already had his suspicions. "Then we must stop him, Prince Zuko."

"I know. Follow me, I know where the Spirit Oasis is." Iroh nodded and the two made their way through the chaos, neither drawing more attention than any other firebender on the battlefield.

"Zuko, you realize this means you may have to put your quest on hold for the time being," Iroh stated carefully.

When Zuko caught his gaze, Iroh was surprised to see that their was no hesitation or indecision written on his features whatsoever.

"A lot's happened. I have to talk to you later," the prince stated tiredly. "For now, the Moon Spirit comes first."

Although Iroh was startled by the level of initiative and maturity his nephew was showing, he didn't show it. Satisfied that he would prioritize the balance of the world for now, Iroh trudged onwards, following Zuko into battle against their own nation.

* * *

AN: Well, here I am, starting a story in a fandom I've never done before. I hope I'm not out of my depth, but I think I know the Avatar verse pretty well. Let's see where this goes.


	2. The Price of Mercy

Chapter II: The Price of Mercy

* * *

Aang, Katara, and Sokka readied themselves for battle, Yue standing behind them nervously, as Zhao and his men marched into the Spirit Oasis unimpeded. It wasn't looking good for the Northern Water Tribe if they could have gotten to here of all places so easily, but that went unsaid.

"The Avatar," Zhao said with a stunned, yet somehow still arrogant, smile. "To think fate has awarded me two victories today. One over the Northern Water Tribe, and one over the greatest enemy of the Fire Nation." The last part was spoken with a condescension that Aang promptly ignored.

"Zhao, listen to me," Aang said. "I know what your goal is. If you kill the Moon Spirit, it won't just mean devastation for the Water Tribe. It would disrupt the very balance of nature. The Fire Nation wouldn't last a week."

"Do you think you can bluff your way out of this?" Zhao sneered. "After today, I will be known to the world as Zhao, the Moon-Slayer! Your inconsequential ties to the Spirit World won't be enough to talk me out of my _destiny_."

"Then you're going to have to make it through us," Katara said, knowing full well that he couldn't be reasoned with.

"You say that like it's a problem," Zhao said with a smirk. "Men, attack. The Avatar is mine."

Before the two sides could converge in an all out brawl, Zhao was struck from behind. A blaze of fire hit his back and sent him hurtling towards the wall, which he collided with painfully.

"That was a warning shot," Zuko stated, arm outstretched and fist clenched where he had shot the fireball.

" _Was_ it though?" Sokka questioned, despite there being a distinct inflection in his voice that bordered on approval.

The soldiers broke out of their stunned stupor and rounded on Zuko, but one look at the aged General behind him had them pausing in their assault.

"I can't be! You're dead!" Zhao exclaimed. Although his armor had taken most of the heat, he could still feel his back blistering where the flames had burnt through. That would need treatment later, he grudgingly realized.

"Don't tell me you actually thought your little ploy with the pirates would work," Zuko openly mocked, causing the Admiral to seethe.

"Well, isn't this a sight to see. I knew you were a traitor, Prince Zuko, but to think General Iroh would fall this far as well."

"You tried to have my nephew killed, Zhao. The real question is why you'd expect my allegiance after that."

"I did what I had to," Zhao said, voice steeled. "Just like I'm doing now. What are you waiting for?" he shouted to his soldiers. Take them out!"

Before the Fire Nation troops could move to comply, Iroh was already upon them with an advanced firebending form that easily powered through their defenses despite his old age. Within seconds, the multitude of soldiers were unconscious on the ground.

Backed into a corner, Zhao gave into desperation, and lunged for the pond with fire ready in his hands. Iroh gave a shout of warning.

But Zuko was already there.

The scarred teenager attacked Zhao with such a tempered ferocity that none of the others even thought to intervene. The duel was so one sided that even Iroh could only stare in shock.

Zuko moved with a grace and fluidity that none had seen from him previously. His first barrage of fire was dispersed by Zhao. The second was significantly harder to deflect. The third elicited a pained grunt as it singed the Admiral's arms. The fourth and fifth, which came too soon for him to regain his bearings, knocked Zhao off balance. The sixth completely knocked him off his feet as he failed to divert it. The seventh collided with the ground next to him. An _actual_ warning shot. Within less than ten seconds, the fight was over, with Zuko standing over a gasping Zhao.

"Yield," the prince commanded, unrelenting.

The defeated firebender met his eyes. "No." And he lunged again, with a growing fire ready in his palm.

Zuko grimaced as created a shield of fire around himself to ward off the assault. The instinctual defense also pushed Zhao back, burning him even more in the process. He let out a cry of pain as he was repelled.

"Stop, Zhao. You've lost. I don't want to kill you."

"Then you're the one who's lost!" Zhao snarled. "This is why your father banished you! You're weak, spineless, and incapable of getting the job done when it matters! Now your weakness reveals itself, Prince Zuko!"

" _Don't_ ," Zuko warned, but Zhao barely heeded his words as he charged forward again. Zuko could feel the searing heat from the attack from where he was standing, and knew it could kill him if he kept giving Zhao more leeway. Gritting his teeth, he tried his best to resolve himself for what he had to do.

Before Zhao reached him, he leapt over the Admiral's arm to dodge the fire blast. Spinning in mid air, he dispersed his opponent's flames before landing on the ground and bending a stream of fire towards Zhao at point blank range. The Admiral's screams of agony echoed through the oasis, and made Aang, Katara, and Sokka all take a step back as Iroh watched grimly. They soon died down, and left the oasis in silence once again.

Zuko's hands visibly trembled as he stared down at Zhao's charred corpse. Finally, Iroh broke the fragile silence. "We will relay the news of Zhao's death to the fleet. With their admiral felled in battle, the Fire Nation will have no choice but to discontinue the siege." Zuko absently realized that he wasn't speaking as Uncle Iroh, the happy tea loving old man, but General Iroh, the man who had besieged Ba Sing Se for 600 days. The aged man turned to the Princess Yue. "I think enough lives have been lost today."

The princess could only nod, still coming to terms with everything that had just happened.

"Let's go, Zuko," he said, breaking the prince out of his thoughts. Zuko began to follow before Aang's voice stopped him.

"You didn't have to kill him." The words cut deep into his core, because Zuko almost, for a span of time too short to rationalize, agreed wholeheartedly. But then, he only had to remember the reason he was here to discard the thought. Because Aang didn't _understand_ , and possibly never would, even though he _desperately_ needed to.

"You don't know Zhao like I do," Zuko said quietly. "He would have stopped at nothing."

"There still could have been another way," the boy insisted, and Zuko didn't know whether to smile or break down crying at his naivety.

"There was another way," he answered stiffly. "I gave him one, and he didn't take it. Most people like him don't." The prince turned back to meet Aang's innocent, defeated eyes. "You once asked if I thought we could be friends," he said, causing Aang's eyes to widen at the reminder. "I'm...glad now, that you asked," he admitted. "But that kind of kindness will cost you."

"So you're saying I shouldn't have offered?" Aang said, sounding offended.

"I'm saying that every person you try to spare is a gamble," Zuko corrected. "I'm saying I'm thankful that you offered. I'm also saying there's a _price_." Aang looked down, and Katara and Sokka traded shocked looks as they listened to the impossible conversation.

Never since his first arrival in the South Pole did Katara think she'd hear Prince Zuko sound this... _wise_. That, coupled with the unexpected truce he had offered, and the firebending prowess he had demonstrated just now, which completely eclipsed what he had shown when he fought _her_ , had her wondering if this was really the same person.

If Katara was being honest with herself, Zuko seemed drastically different than when he had left her unconscious in the Spirit Oasis just hours ago. "I know you need to end this war," he said to Aang, his voice warped with an incomprehensible resolve that sent shivers down her spine. "I only hope that when the time comes, you'll do what needs to be done."

With that said, Zuko left the group in stunned silence as he departed along with Iroh, who was observing him with a curious gaze.

* * *

When Iroh relayed the message of Zhao's death and ordered the fleet to make a full retreat, he wasn't met with as much resistance as Zuko had anticipated. He supposed they all must have been as tired and battle weary as he was.

As the ship they had occupied pulled out of the North Pole, Zuko stared up at the setting sun and reflected on how differently things had gone.

"I'm impressed with the way you acted today, Zuko," his uncle's voice came from behind him. "You have grown in many ways in such a short time. You said you needed to talk to me, didn't you? And yet, I can't help but feel it should wait. You've been through much."

Zuko simply nodded, not having it in him to contradict the claim. "I'm tired," he admitted.

"Then you should rest," Iroh said.

Zuko let a small smile slip onto his face. "A man needs his rest," he echoed.

He didn't need to turn around to know that his uncle was smiling.


	3. A Botched Meeting

Chapter III: A Botched Meeting

* * *

When Zuko awoke in the morning, he did so with the resolve that he would fully explain himself to his uncle today. The man deserved to know, more so than anyone else he knew. And so, he exited the cabin that had been reserved for him once they'd commandeered the ship they were on.

One good thing about being on a ship full of firebenders was that almost everyone awoke at the same time. Zuko had little difficulty finding his uncle, since he too had risen at the crack of dawn.

"Uncle, I'm ready to have that conversation now," he said. The man nodded seriously and beckoned him over to a room with some privacy. Once he was sure no one was around, he turned to Zuko.

"I can tell there is much you need to tell me. I must admit I'm at a loss as to what events could have transpired during your quest in the North Pole to bring forth this...change. Why don't you start at the beginning while I make us some tea?"

Zuko took a deep breath and began telling his tale, starting with his brief capture of the Avatar at the Spirit Oasis. He watched as his uncle's face morphed from curiosity, to worry as he recounted his journey through the blizzard, to confusion as he continued beyond that and the events didn't match up to what had happened the previous day, and finally shocked realization as he continued beyond what had happened in the North. He told him everything, from Azula's deception, to their separation, to their trip to Ba Sing Se.

When he got to the events beneath Ba Sing Se, he had to pause for a moment to collect himself. But he continued on, staring straight into Iroh's resigned eyes as he recounted his greatest regret: his betrayal in the crystal catacombs. He went on to describe the contrasting feelings of exhilaration and deep rooted shame that had accompanied him back home to the Fire Nation, before recounting both their escapes during the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, and finally telling of his quest to defeat his father with the Avatar's group, and the events that led to him coming back to this point.

When he finished, he awaited his uncle's judgement, outwardly calm but inwardly quivering. His uncle's face was stony and unreadable, which only made his nerves rise. He was about to speak up to break him out of whatever daze he was in, when Iroh broke the silence, voice wavering.

"You have been through much, Nephew."

Zuko looked down. "I know. I made so many mistakes, and others paid the price for them. I...I wasn't fast enough. I didn't realize what was happening to me in time. I thought I had finally redeemed myself, but that was just my own stupidity and the _damn_ Fire Lord's influence." He was rambling now, but he couldn't stop. He needed to get this off his chest, to lighten the load just a little bit. "By the time I actually started thinking for myself and made the right decision, it was too late. The world paid the price for my stupid honor...because I…" he let out a shuddering breath. "Because I lost my way. I forgot who I was."

"But you remembered," his uncle pointed out.

"It was too late."

"But it's not."

Zuko looked up to see his uncle smiling, tears in the man's eyes.

"That is why you're here, is it not? You came back to give yourself and the world a second chance. You may have made mistakes, Zuko, but I want you to know that I am _so proud of you_. You never gave in to despair. You never stopped fighting, so don't do so now. Not when there is so much to hope for."

Zuko eyes were shining, giving him an innocent quality that Iroh had not seen in him for three years now. Finally, he chuckled. "You were always so quick to forgive...always supporting me through it all. You're right, Uncle. I won't waste this chance."

He stood from the table with a newfound determination. "I will redeem myself. I will help the Avatar restore balance."

Iroh beamed.

* * *

The air was filled with the tension of an argument waiting to happen as Aang, Katara, and Sokka stocked Appa's saddle with the supplies they had been given for their journey to Omashu. As Katara stared down at the Spirit Oasis water gifted to her by Pakku, deep in thought, Sokka was grumbling about being the only one to not receive a gift from the old man as he fussed over their supplies. Katara knew him well enough to realize that he was trying to distract himself.

As they prepared to leave, Aang opened and closed his mouth several times, wondering how to broach the topic they had neglected to discuss the previous night in their exhaustion. Appa had enough to carry without a giant elephant in the cramped room that was his saddle.

"So...guys? Are we going to talk about this any time soon?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Sokka replied without looking up.

Aang deflated, before looking towards his crush hopefully. "Katara?"

The waterbender simply frowned and remained silent.

Aang sighed. "Look, I know this whole thing is weird and it's probably easier not to talk about it, but we can't just ignore it _forever_. Zuko helped us end the siege! _Zuko_."

"So what, Aang?" Sokka asked. "Just because he had a grudge match with another firebender doesn't mean anything has changed. You heard him, Zhao tried to have him killed. Of course he'd want to get rid of the guy! He's been trying to do the same to us since we first met him. The only difference is he _succeeded_ this time. We're just lucky we weren't his targets."

"But he didn't even try to capture me afterwards!" Aang protested.

"In a city full of waterbenders, the night after the full moon? Yeah, because _that_ would have gone over well."

"That didn't stop him on the night _of_ the full moon," Katara pointed out, expression puzzled.

"Yeah well, he took advantage of the chaos during the siege that time. He probably realized it wouldn't fly with the battle over and wisely backed off."

"Zuko? Backing off? Wisely?" Aang parroted skeptically.

"It doesn't matter Aang! Zuko's the enemy, end of story."

"Is he though? You heard what he said before he left. If you disregard everything he's done, it sounded like he _wanted_ me to stop the war. And he was acting much different than every other time we've seen him!"

"That's easy for you to say, Aang!" Katara fumed. "You weren't awake when he knocked me unconscious so he could kidnap you! People don't change in less than a day!"

"Maybe not, but this isn't the first time he's helped us." As soon as the words left his mouth, Aang realized what he'd said and fell silent. Katara's expression changed from puzzled and angry to suspicious as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you talking about, Aang?" she asked, as Sokka listened with rapt attention.

Aang looked down. "I never told you guys because I didn't want you to worry...remember when I got kidnapped by Zhao while you guys were sick?"

"And you made us suck on frozen frogs?" Sokka recalled in aggravation. "How could I forget when I had a wart on the back of the flap in my throat until just recently?"

"Sokka, there was nothing there," Katara said, exasperated.

"I could feel it!" Sokka refuted indignantly. "It's my throatal flap!"

" _Anyway_ ," Aang continued, "When Zhao had me chained up, it was Zuko that got me out. He was wearing a Blue Spirit mask and fighting with dual swords, but when we got out, I found out that it was him."

Katara and Sokka sat in stunned silence before Sokka spoke up.

"That would explain why Zhao tried to kill him. He must have found out who did it," he said thoughtfully.

"Aang, you can't honestly think he did that out of the good of his heart," Katara huffed. "He probably just wanted to capture you himself!"

"That's what I thought too," Aang replied. "I mean, he sort of chased me away afterwards. But now I'm wondering...what if he was having second thoughts? What is he's just not sure of his path in life? I once ran away from my duties as the Avatar...what if he's going through something similar and just doesn't know what he's supposed to do?"

"He sure seemed like his heart was in it while he was calling me a peasant and shooting fireballs at me," Katara said with a scowl.

Aang sighed. This was going nowhere. "Alright, we can talk more about this later. For now, let's focus on getting to Omashu."

The suggestion was met with relieved compliance, and with a quick "Yip yip," they were soaring through the air towards the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

Azula was perfect. That was a simple and unwavering fact of life, as constant and irrefutable as the sun's presence over the horizon every morning. She was a prodigy in every aspect of combat, an expert in both politics and battle tactics, and although she had yet to surpass her father, a firebender with even more latent potential than the Fire Lord, if her blue flames were any indication.

Her brother Zuko was decidedly _not_ any of those things. Although he was above average in many facets of combat by virtue of his sheer stubbornness and refusal to accept that he'd never amount to anything much, he was still a sheer disappointment by the standards of the Fire Nation Royalty, and more importantly, far inferior to her in _everything_.

Sometimes Azula thought he would have been better off being born as the son of a nobleman, or even a lower class Fire Nation family. Even as a nobleman, he would still excel due to that bullheaded drive of his. It was a testament to his poor luck that he was born into the Royal Family, where nothing less than perfection was acceptable.

Then again, watching him try only to constantly fail was admittedly a good source of entertainment. Azula found that she was actually looking forward to seeing his face when he finally realized that he was being taken back to the Fire Nation as a prisoner, rather than the prince he still insisted he was.

But although Zuko's mannerisms when they were children were extremely predictable, she had to admit that he had grown up a bit, and not just physically. His eyes were on her the entire time as she walked into the resort, hardened and ready for a confrontation, but he did not growl, snarl, or make any other indication that he was in any discomfort. This was drastically different to his bleeding heart behavior during their childhood, but that could be explained away by his rather difficult three year voyage. It seemed to have hardened him more than she had predicted. She was almost impressed. Almost.

"Azula," he greeted, and she was surprised to note that there was no hostility or sign of distress in his voice.

"Good afternoon, Zuko. I've come to deliver a message from father." If he was surprised by that news, he didn't show it. In fact, she couldn't pick up much of any emotion from him, which was strange in and of itself. She was very good at reading people. He should at least look _surprised_. She knew full well that their father hadn't been in contact with his disgraced son for three years. The closest he had come was sending them additional fund for supplies. For father to send her of all people to send him a message should have been a privilege.

When he simply sat down and gestured to the seat across from him, she had to hold back a scowl. She was most certainly _not_ going to sit, especially not when he was acting this casual about everything. There was being polite, and then there was outright dismissal of her position, which she did not appreciate in the slightest. Still, she had a mission to accomplish. Better to let it slide...for the moment.

"Father's changed his mind," she continued. "Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can truly trust." She paused for dramatic effect, before delivering the line that would seal her brother's fate. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home."

This was the part where he would be struck stunned with disbelief, before readily accepting. At least, that was what was supposed to happen. Instead, she was almost rendered speechless when a flash of irritation swept through Zuko's eyes.

She almost blinked. Was that what it looked like? She knew how to look for the slightest signs of any and all emotion in people's features. It was a useful skill that she had picked up along the years. But that couldn't be right. Zuko would never be annoyed to hear that Father wanted him home.

As quickly as it appeared, it was gone, and Azula was left wondering if she had imagined it. But that would have to wait, because something even more infuriating was happening.

Zuko _wasn't saying anything_. He was just staring at her in silence, regarding her thoughtfully. How infuriating.

"Did you hear me?" Azula asked, allowing an appropriate level of indignation to enter her voice, although she didn't exactly need to fake it. You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you good news."

"I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment," Uncle supplied neutrally.

"Don't interrupt, Uncle!" she snapped. The moment the words left her mouth, Zuko's features shifted into something she almost didn't recognize, due to how entirely and ridiculously out of context it was. Rage. But again, as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and Azula had to keep the slight shock off her features. She had most certainly not imagined _that_.

"I still haven't heard my thank you," Azula pressed, attempting to regain control of the situation. "I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."

"Then why did you?"

The question was so unexpected and outrageous that her control slipped and she actually blinked in shock.

" _Excuse me?_ I don't think I heard you right, Zuzu." Zuko rolled his eyes at the nickname, causing her to grit her teeth. This meeting was most certainly _not_ proceeding how she had expected, how it was _supposed_ to.

"Why did you come, Azula?" Zuko asked again. "Father could have sent anyone to give me this message. Agni, he could have sent a messenger hawk. So why are _you_ of all people here? As you said, you're not a messenger. You're the Princess of the Fire Nation."

Azula had to concede that that was a fair point. She just didn't expect Zuko of all people to bring it up after his greatest wish had seemingly been granted. Gaining control of herself again, she plastered a frown on her face.

"I've come because you're not some common foot soldier, Zuko. You're the _Prince_ of the Fire Nation, and you deserve to hear this news from a proper source." She was lying through her teeth, and did not delight in saying this in the slightest, but a mission was a mission. Father had been clear in his instructions. "And that is most certainly not a messenger hawk of all things."

Hearing her words, Zuko's eyes took on a different emotion, one that she easily recognized from their childhood. Sadness. Although it was still slightly out of place, she supposed it was better than annoyance. Sadness was something she could work with.

"Is something wrong, Brother?"

Zuko closed his eyes and sighed. "Azula," he said, in a tone that suggested _he_ was losing his patience. "Throughout our childhood you took pleasure in every bit of pain I went through. You gloated every time I messed up. You intentionally outperformed me at every turn so I'd feel inadequate, and then rubbed salt in the wound by reminding me of my failures. You lied and manipulated my emotions for your own amusement and watched with glee as my life fell apart."

"When we were eleven, my father told me I was lucky to be born, and you sat there watching smugly. A month later, after Lu Ten died, you told me that father was going to kill me, laughing as you said it. When Mother disappeared, you laughed again, telling me she wasn't around to coddle me anymore." He closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment.

"When I was banished...you sat in the stands, and smiled as I _burned_."

He opened his eyes, and this time, did nothing to mask the quiet rage in them as he stared into Azula's own wide, golden orbs.

"You didn't come here because you felt I deserved to be graced with your presence, and we both know it. So I'll ask you again. _Why are you here?_ "

For a moment, Azula was stunned into silence. It wasn't a common occurrence for her to not be able to respond. This meeting was just getting stranger and stranger. Zuko did not speak this eloquently. He sputtered in rage and indignation, attempting to put his anger into words but never succeeding. At least, he used to. Azula was beginning to realize that she may not know her brother as well as she did before his banishment.

This left her with limited options. She could apologize, which wasn't really an option at all. Mission or no mission, she was not lowering herself so much as to apologize to Zuko of all people. Azula didn't apologize to _anyone_. The only person she could imagine breaking that ironclad rule for was her father, and even that would never happen because she didn't make mistakes like Zuko did, and so she would never need to.

Which really only left her with one option. If Zuko wouldn't come home willingly, and wasn't _that_ an absurd thought, then she would have to prepare for the alternative.

"I can see you need time to think things over," she said courteously, the words feeling bitter on her tongue. "I'll check on you again at nightfall. Do think on it until then, won't you? Good day."

Zuko's eyes were filled with melancholy as they followed her out the door.

A couple minutes passed in silence, and once they were sure she was out of earshot, Uncle Iroh spoke up.

"Well that could have gone worse."

* * *

As Azula arrived back at the ship, she turned to Captain Ling. "Have the troops set a perimeter around the resort. If they try to go _anywhere_ , I want to know," she said coldly.


	4. Duel of Siblings

Chapter IV: Duel of Siblings

* * *

There was a knock on her door. Irritated that her meditation had been interrupted, Azula opened it and gave the Lieutenant a glare. He swallowed heavily, but gave his report.

"They've left the resort, Princess. I thought you should know."

" _What_? You just let them leave?"

The man started sweating. "Well no, they haven't actually gone anywhere. They aren't even approaching the ship. They're just standing outside."

Azula narrowed her eyes, deciding she should go check up on those two. Zuko was one thing, but she did not expect any of these fools to be able to handle Uncle Iroh, loathe as she was to admit it. She walked to the end of the deck and looked over the railing of the ship, and almost gasped at what she saw. Uncle was going through a firebending form as he faced the ship. One that Azula was _closely_ familiar with.

Without a second thought, Azula propelled herself off the ship with a burst of flames, causing the Lieutenant to stumble back and surprise. Azula payed the simpleton no heed as she flew over to her treacherous Uncle at an incredible speed.

She wasn't fast enough.

Iroh thrust two fingers out towards the ship, and a massive arc of lightning struck the engine. Ignoring the panicked shouts behind her, Azula sent a bolt of blue fire at Iroh in midair, knowing he wouldn't be able to come out of his form in time to block it.

And then Zuko was in front of him, brushing aside her fire with an ease and finesse that left her shocked and livid. As she landed, she sent two more blasts of blue fire at the two, and Zuko started repelling her attempts in earnest. She could hear the firebenders on board the ship and off of it finally beginning to react to the situation as they started to converge onto their position from all sides. Iroh started fighting them off, and Azula let him. She didn't much care for the lives of her underlings, not that she thought her uncle would have the spine to kill them.

"So you actually saw through my little ruse, Zuzu? I suppose you're not entirely as hopeless as you were the last time I saw you," Azula mocked, knowing there was no point in continuing the charade. Zuko didn't react to the jab. His expression was focused as he continued parrying her elite firebending. Azula had to admit he had improved immensely. Three years ago he wouldn't have lasted this long against her without slipping up at least once. But there was no unfocused rage, no angry flailing, not a single hair out of place in his defense. Not only was his form almost perfect, but it was one she didn't even _recognize_. Azula had mastered every form of firebending from the basics to the most advanced sets. There shouldn't be a form she was unfamiliar with, much less one being used by _Zuko_. What kind of bastardized mockery of firebending was her brother using?

 _An effective one_ , she grudgingly admitted to herself as he adjusted his footing and dispersed yet another barrage of blue flames. Although this new style of firebending wasn't as aggressive as hers, each move seem to flow into the next, almost as if he was dancing. Leave it to Zuko to come up with something so ridiculous. Propelling herself into the air once again, she descended upon him with a downward arc of fire from her leg, but he spun through the air and summoned a shield of flames to repel it. As she landed, he kicked outwards and sent a wave of fire in her direction, but she stood her ground and parted the flames around herself.

She proceeded to send a vicious series of jabs and kicks in his direction, the fire in her veins responding to her every movement. His stance was firm and unyielding as he blocked each strike, and yet his movements were fluid as he shifted in and out between stances. What was going on? He had never been able to compete with her before! He couldn't have possibly improved _more_ than her since his banishment. He would have been busy chasing an unattainable dream while she practiced advanced firebending forms under the watch of the Fire Lord. She was a prodigy! There was no way he could have been progressing faster than her!

Her movements became more aggressive, though not recklessly so, and she began pushing him back. He still had yet to take a hit, but she was gaining ground now. It would only be a matter of time. As she approached, he cleared away a blast of fire before readying his own in one fist. She did the same as blue flames gathered around her hand.

Their two fists met, and the clash of flames caused a small explosion which sent them both flying backwards and landing a fair distance away from each other.

Azula growled as she rose to her feet, noting with aggravation that Zuko was doing the same, no worse for wear. This was going nowhere fast. It was time to end this. She had one ace up her sleeve that she knew Zuko couldn't have learned, and she was going to use it.

Going through the same movements Uncle had earlier, she separated the negative and positive energies in her chi, causing sparks to come to life around her fingertips. She watched in confusion as Zuko stood there calmly in a ready stance. Why wasn't he panicking, or at least getting ready to dodge? Did he have a death wish?

Well, it was of no consequence, she decided. If he wanted to play it cool, he'd get shot full of lightning. It was that simple.

Having defeated most of the soldiers by now, Iroh looked on worriedly as he knocked out Captain Ling as gently as possible. Did Zuko have the means to deal with cold blooded fire? He had told him not to worry beforehand, that he could take Azula, but he couldn't help but be apprehensive. Every instinct was screaming for him to intercept that strike.

He needn't have worried. As the bolt of lightning shot towards Zuko, the prince held out two fingers and _caught_ it. Uncle could very clearly imagine the electricity following the path of his chi, down through his stomach and out his other arm. He watched in satisfaction and pride as Zuko demonstrated a levelheaded mastery of his own technique. He pointed his other hand, guided, and released.

Azula watched in shock, and dare she say it, _fear,_ as Zuko did the impossible and pointed the her own lightning back towards her. She stared into her brother's face as the blue sparks reflected off of her golden eyes, knowing that the fight was truly over. But in that split second, some unrecognizable emotion flashed through Zuko's eyes, and his fingers adjusted their course, almost of their own accord.

The lightning struck the ground below Azula's feet, and she let out a shout of pain and surprise as the resulting explosion sent her hurtling backwards above the water, where she landed with a loud splash. What remained of her crew hurried to help her out of the bay.

Azula emerged from the steaming water with an infuriated scowl. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she brushed off the support of her underlings and marched out of the water, noting with fury that her brother and uncle were nowhere to be seen.

She had just been spared. By _Zuko_.

"I want a message sent to the nearest Fire Nation outpost," she whispered, her voice low and dangerous. "Have bounty posters sent out for those two traitors, and get someone over here to fix that Agni forsaken engine."

The highest ranked soldier stuttered an affirmative, before he bowed and left.

Azula's eyes continued to glare at the spot where her brother had been standing, the duel replaying itself in her mind.

* * *

Zuko stared down at his reflection in the creek as he took his knife and cut the ties around his topknot, letting his hair fall down around his face. He handed the knife to Iroh, who did the same. As Zuko hefted the supplies they had stolen from the resort over his shoulder, the two made their way out into the wilderness.

* * *

 _A week later_

Aang, Katara, and Sokka were admittedly having a tough week. First they'd arrived at General Fong's outpost, which was pretty uneventful. The only problem was that the general paid little to no attention to them, and seemed to need constant reminders about their escort to Omashu. It wasn't hard to see past his facade of informality to the arrogance beneath, and it was even easier to see that he didn't really take their group seriously, despite Aang being the Avatar. When it became apparent that he wasn't inclined to "waste" time and resources giving them an escort, they had packed their things and promptly left on Appa, all three of them sufficiently annoyed that _they_ had wasted their time. It wasn't as if they needed his help. They'd been doing pretty well so far. Sort of.

That led to their following endeavor of trying to fly over the mountains through a veritable firestorm courtesy of a Fire Nation blockade, which didn't really go over well. They ended up taking up a group of eccentric nomads on their offer to lead them through the Cave of Two Lovers in order to reach their destination, which took far longer than it should have, though they did learn some interesting things along the way.

Now, they had finally reached Omashu, and were ready to make their request of King Bumi. Only when they walked over the ridge leading to the city gates did they realize that the city was now occupied by the Fire Nation.

No, this was not a good week for them.

* * *

"Please tell me you're here to kill me," Mai intoned as Azula and Ty Lee walked up to her. Azula smirked, and the two old friends embraced.

"Actually, I've come to seek your aid Mai," Azula informed. "I've been having a bit of trouble tracking down a couple of traitors."

"Traitors?" Mai asked curiously.

"I've been tasked with the capture of my dear brother and uncle, and I've decided the best way to go about it is to form a small elite team to follow them." Azula did not mention the fact that she would need help in more than just tracking them down, though she knew it went unsaid.

Mai was an old pro at hiding emotions. Azula was an old pro at reading them. In the short moment of silence following her request, the two traits clashed with such subtlety that any uninformed person would think the nobleman's daughter was simply taking a second to come to a decision.

Azula could detect the slightest hint of reservation in Mai's face though, and knew at that moment that her friend's old feelings for Zuko had never completely vanished after his disgrace. No matter. Her fear of the repercussions should she step out of line would be more than enough to keep that sentiment under control.

"Anything to get me out of this place," Mai remarked dryly, seemingly coming to an easy decision.

Azula smirked again. "It's good to have you back, Mai. Now, what's this I've been hearing about a rebel group?"

* * *

Zuko sighed as he walked through the busy village streets, his uncle in tow.

"Something wrong Nephew?" Iroh asked benignly, as he enjoyed the view of the sun setting behind the horizon.

"If we're going to be blending in, we need to be able to defend ourselves without standing out," Zuko said quietly, eliciting a nod from the man. "I was just hoping I'd be able to find a pair of—"

He stopped short as a glint of steel caught his eye. He looked to see a local swordsman walking around with a pair of dual dao swords strapped to his back. Luckily, dual dao were common in both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, and these looked to be of good quality and condition.

"You there," he addressed the local. As the man turned to him, Zuko noticed the slight twitch of his fingers, but paid it no heed. "How much for those swords?" he asked instead.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Around these parts, swords are part of a man's livelihood. I'm not exactly looking to sell them."

Zuko pulled out a small pouch from his bag. "How does 40 gold pieces sound?"

The man's eyes widened as he took the bag and examined its contents. "Like enough to feed my family for months. You've got yourself a deal, son."

The man handed over the swords, which Zuko strapped to his back. He offered Zuko a nod and walked away.

"Well, there go a third of our resources," Iroh pointed out, though his tone was not chastising.

"He needs the money more than we do, and we need the swords more than he does. I figure it was a good trade."

"Fair point," Iroh conceded. "I suppose it's a good thing we had the foresight to bring our leftover funds from the voyage."

Zuko smiled wryly. "You have no idea. Last time you had to sing and dance for coin."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It's degrading."

* * *

The two runaways stopped at a small inn for the night. The innkeeper was a middle aged woman with a kind smile who welcomed them warmly.

As Iroh got settled in for the night, Zuko grabbed a small burlap bag. "I'm going on a walk," he announced, and his uncle gave him a knowing look.

"Do be careful," Iroh warned. "Trouble is not hard to find at this time of night."

"I can handle it," Zuko assured.

"It's not you I'm worried about."

Zuko smiled and bid his uncle goodnight before leaving the room. He'd often wondered how long the man had known about his nightly escapades. It seemed he'd been aware since even before they were on the run.

As he slipped out into the night, he reached into the bag and pulled on a grinning blue mask, before taking to the rooftops. He needed to think.


	5. Visions of a Future Past

Chapter V: Visions of a Future Past

* * *

Zuko groggily awoke the next morning to his uncle shaking his shoulder gently. As he slipped out of bed as gracefully as was possible for someone running on three hours of sleep, his uncle gave him a slightly disapproving look, which he ignored.

He hadn't actually planned on staying out so long last night, but he'd underestimated the amount of unsavory characters in this village and come across no less than two muggings, _and_ something which would have ended worse had he not intervened. Needless to say, he'd given the drunkard a good beating while the would-be victim fled at the sight of his grinning mask and gleaming swords.

Zuko didn't consider himself a hero. Sure, he'd fought alongside the Avatar, but that was to fight a war. There were no heroes in war.

Still, when he saw something so inhumane happening before his very eyes, he couldn't help but do everything in his power to stop it. It was what had gotten him banished all those years ago, but he'd since learned that aspect of himself wasn't something to shun. He knew instinctively that he would have lost sleep over it had he not acted.

 _You lost sleep over it anyway,_ whispered an eerie, mocking voice from some deep recess of his mind. Sometimes he mused that the voice was the Blue Spirit himself, his own personal alterego that came to life when he slipped on that mask in the dead of dreary dark, and continued to grin at him from the depths of his brain when came the break of dawn.

He didn't like the implications about his mental state that thought called to question, so he usually ignored it.

He splashed some cold water on his face, and by the time he joined his uncle downstairs, was looking as if he hadn't lost a wink of sleep.

He paid no mind to the fact that his uncle was actively flirting with the innkeeper, who looked openly amused, and are he say, even slightly flattered.

"Good morning," the innkeeper greeted him. "I hope you slept well, young man."

"Very well," Zuko lied. "Thank you."

"You know, you two are certainly up early," she mused. "Usually my guests like to sleep in."

Zuko smiled. "We like to rise with the sun," he replied, knowing that particular trait of firebenders wasn't well known in the Earth Kingdom.

"Not enough young people these days do," she responded, as he payed her the 20 silver pieces they had agreed on.

She wished them good luck on their journey, and they left the inn.

"So, what road would your knowledge take us down next, my nephew? Or are your planning skills one thing that have remained unchanged?" Iroh quipped joyfully.

Zuko smiled, glad his uncle had gotten time to unwind, at the very least. It was surreal, having the man he'd always turned to for wisdom treating him as an equal. Zuko would always think of the man as his mentor, but when said mentor turned to _him_ for the answers, he couldn't help but swell with pride.

"Actually, the plan is the same as always," he replied, privately laughing at the irony. "We need to find Aang again."

"Our destinies do seem to be deeply intertwined," the aged man said thoughtfully. "But should we not wait until he needs to learn firebending? I doubt he will have found and earthbending teacher yet, and meeting with him may lead Azula onto his trail, seeing as she is still following us."

"That's exactly why we need to find him sooner," Zuko said. "If I remember right, Azula should already be after him by now."

Iroh's face turned serious. "I see. Then we must make haste. He likely will not be up to such a challenge yet. But do you have a method of tracking him?"

"Who said anything about tracking?" Zuko asked, a smirk on his face. "I know exactly where he'll be."

Iroh had a look of mischief on his face as they made their plans.

* * *

Aang had a distant look in his eyes as he sat atop Appa's head, the flying bison practically on autopilot as they made their way to Gaoling. Behind him, Katara exchanged a worried look with her brother, who merely shrugged.

"Aang?" she called. The boy didn't answer. She tried again to snap him out of whatever daze he was in, to no avail. Finally, she shouted.

"Aang!"

"Huh? Wha…? Oh, hey Katara. What's up?"

Sokka gave him an odd look as Katara spoke tentatively.

"Are you sure you're ok Aang? You've been acting strange ever since the swamp."

"Yeah...sorry. I just...have a lot on my mind."

"About the girl you saw?"

Aang swallowed heavily but nodded, and Sokka gave him a suspicious look. "There's something else. Something you're not telling us," he accused.

The monk looked away guiltily, and Katara chided him gently.

"Come on, Aang. The swamp was scary for us all. What else did you see? You know you can tell us anything."

Aang sighed. "Yeah, I know. I had this weird vision...it wasn't like when I saw the girl. I sort of went into this trance."

"So, kind of like what happened when Avatar Roku was trying to contact you?" Sokka asked in interest."

"Yeah, like that. Only...this time I saw Zuko."

 _That_ threw them for a loop.

"You saw Zuko in a vision? Was it some kind of warning?" Katara asked worriedly.

"Maybe? I don't really know. But that wasn't the strangest part. You two were there too. So was the girl from my vision. And Suki, I think."

"Wait, _Suki_ was there?" Sokka asked incredulously. "Are you sure this wasn't some kind of dream? She's still on Kyoshi Island as far as we know."

"I know, but I'm pretty sure it was her. I mean, she didn't have the face paint on, so it took me a moment to realize, but she had the fans and her fighting style was the same."

"We were fighting?" Katara asked. "Who were we fighting?"

Aang took a deep breath. "I think it was the Fire Lord." When both of them were too stunned to say anything, he continued. We were surrounded by Fire Nation soldiers on all sides, and leading them was the scariest firebender I've ever seen. I could tell just by watching him bend who he must have been. I've never seen anyone bend fire like that before, not even…" he trailed off. "Anyway, Katara, you were taking down soldiers left and right with your waterbending, it was _amazing_. And Sokka was fighting back to back with Suki using this cool black sword, and the girl from my vision was using these awesome earthbending moves...she even bent _metal_ at one point!"

"Aang, this is starting to sound kind of crazy," Katara said, brows furrowed.

"I know, but it's true!

"And Zuko?" Sokka asked. "If the Fire Lord was there, then does that mean he was fighting alongside his father?"

Aang frowned as he shook his head. "No, that's the thing...it almost looked like Zuko was _leading_ you guys."

"Hang on, _what_?" Katara asked skeptically. "I can maybe believe that he was on our side, but leading us? There's no way."

"But he was! He was fighting the Fire Lord, and it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen! There was fire everywhere, and Fire Lord Ozai did this weird lightning trick, but Zuko just threw it back. Granted, he wasn't winning, but…" Aang realized he was rambling and slowed down. "Guys, remember when Huu said that time is an illusion? What if that was a vision of the future? What if all that is going to happen?"

"That's crazy Aang. Why would Zuko be leading the group? I mean, where were you in all this?"

Aang bit his lip and looked down.

"...Aang?" Katara asked, fear in her voice.

"Katara...I think I was _gone_."


	6. Zuko, Not Alone

Chapter VI: Zuko, Not Alone

* * *

The sun beat down on them hard, but they rode on, undaunted. They lived and thrived in the heat, and after everything they'd been through and before all they still had to do, the arid climate of the Earth Kingdom was a trivial obstacle.

Zuko and Iroh rode with the poise and dignity of kings, to the point where one might even overlook the commoner's clothing they wore and the everyday ostrich horses they used as mounts. They'd had enough money to afford the best of both, but both had been humbled enough by past experiences that they felt no need to indulge whatever pride they had as royalty any more than necessary.

Still, they held their heads high as they rode into their next stop, a relatively small village with a very noticeable presence of Earth Kingdom soldiers. As they drew closer, Zuko closed his eyes as bitter memories passed through his mind.

"Is something wrong, Zuko?" Iroh asked.

The younger firebender shook his head. "I was just remembering the last time I came here."

Iroh hummed. "I see. It must be strange, all this...repetition. Disorienting, at the very least."

"It was at first, but at least I was prepared for it," Zuko replied. "But I'd rather not _repeat_ what happened the last time I was here."

Iroh gave him a worried look, and he realized how that sounded. "It's not that," he amended quickly. "I actually helped them. But in the process…"

"You revealed who you were," Iroh muttered thoughtfully. "Well, we will attempt to avoid that outcome. But I'm proud that you tried to do what was right, even back then."

Zuko smiled. As they arrived at a small stand, Iroh politely asked for some water and a couple bags of feed, holding out several copper pieces. The merchant manning the stand quietly complied.

Two kids suddenly leapt out from behind the stand and threw an egg at one of the soldiers, before running for cover. One of the other soldiers, presumably the leader, spun around and his eyes landed on Iroh, who was holding back a laugh.

"Hey, old man! You throwing eggs at us?" the soldier demanded.

"Who, me?" Iroh asked innocently. "I would never."

"You see who did?" he asked in a poor attempt at intimidation.

"Ah, perhaps during my younger years, my eyesight would not have failed me at such a crucial time. But alas…"

Zuko was torn between smiling at his Uncle's subtle mocking and teaching these punks a lesson a second time.

"Egg had to come from somewhere," the man said with narrowed eyes, before turning to Zuko. "Did you see anything, _friend_?"

Zuko gave him a blank stare. "No," he said simply, before turning away. As the merchant set the water and bags of feed upon the counter, the thug made to swipe it.

"The Earth Kingdom appreciates your contribution—"

The smug statement was interrupted as Zuko grabbed his arm, preventing him from reaching the supplies, and shoved him with one arm. The man lost his balance and flew backward onto the ground, landing roughly.

"Appreciate the dirt," Zuko said dully.

As the thug stood up in a rage, Iroh got in between the two.

"You know," he spoke up, attempting to cut the tension. "I often find that when life hands you eggs, it's best not to question their origins, and simply make an omelet!" He accentuated the proverb with a beaming smile, and heard Zuko slap his palm to his forehead as the thugs stared at him in incredulity.

"This old man's got a few screws loose," the leader said finally. "Come on, boys. Let's get out of this pig sty."

As the men walked away, Zuko turned to Iroh with an expression somewhere between resignation and disbelief. "Someday, you've got to teach me how you do that," he intoned, earning a chuckle from the old man.

"Well, that's something I don't see every day," the merchant spoke up. "Gow and his men are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation, but they're just a bunch of thugs. I don't see people stand up to them too often."

"I see. Well, we'll try not to cause you any more trouble," Iroh said cheerfully. "Thank you for the supplies." The merchant nodded as they mounted their ostrich horses.

The boy from before peeked his head out from behind Zuko's mount, offering a big, toothy grin. "Hey, Mister! That was awesome what you did back there! And thanks for not ratting me out!"

Zuko looked down at him, and Iroh saw a sudden sadness pass through his eyes. "Your welcome," he said quietly.

The boy beamed, not noticing Zuko's melancholy. "Would you guys like to come over to our house for dinner? My parents would want to repay you for helping me!"

Zuko almost looked pained at the kid's enthusiasm. "Thank you, but we'd best be on our way," he replied, and Iroh couldn't help but noticed that he was having difficulty even speaking to the boy. He suddenly had no doubt that his nephew had met the boy before. Making a split second decision, he spoke up.

"Nonsense, Lee! We've had quite the long journey. If this young man's family would be kind enough to host us, I say we accept their generosity!

Zuko looked reluctant, but his respect for Iroh seemed to win out over the discomfort he was obviously feeling. "I guess...just for a little while," he said finally.

The boy's eyes lit up. "Great! This way!"

* * *

Zuko seemed to have mastered his discomfort by the time they arrived at the humble home that he was to be a guest in...again. Iroh could still see his underlying nervousness though. Whoever these people were, their reactions to his identity had clearly left an impact on him. Iroh felt slightly guilty for bringing him into this situation, but it was his hope that his nephew would start to make peace with his past.

"Hello there. Are you friends of Lee's?" a man in typical farmer attire asked them.

Before they could answer, the young boy began recounting their story with obvious enthusiasm. "It was amazing, Dad! This guy," he said, pointing at Zuko, "stood up to Gow and his minions. Gow tried to take his stuff, but he wasn't having any of it! And then Gramps sent them packing with a few choice words!" His mother, who had just joined them, looked surprised to hear the story.

Iroh laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying the edited version of his contribution to the little scuffle.

"Lee, don't be rude," the boy's father scolded.

"No, it's quite alright," Iroh assured. "I embrace my old age, it's a small price to pay for the lessons I've learned over the years."

The boy's father smiled. "That's very wise. I'm Gansu, and this is my wife, Sela. I suppose you've already met my son, Lee."

Zuko nodded politely. "My name is Lee as well. This is...Ori," he decided, before pausing for a moment. "My father."

Iroh's gaze nearly snapped to Zuko, but he tempered his reaction and plastered on a smile. "Yes, my son and I are traveling," he recovered easily. "We have quite the long journey ahead of us."

"Well, anyone willing to stand up to those criminals is welcome in our home. Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"That would be much appreciated. What do you say, Lee?"

"Lee" hesitated for a moment before accepting. He turned to the barn, where there was a ladder leading up to the roof. "I see you're working on your roof. I can help with that."

Gansu and Sela looked startled. It went unsaid to everyone but the oblivious younger Lee that Zuko wanted to earn his keep.

"That's really not necessary…" Sela began.

"It would be my pleasure," Zuko insisted with a small smile. "I like to keep myself busy."

Gansu shared a look with Sela before they both nodded.

* * *

"You don't seem like you're from around here."

"Nope."

"Where are you from then?"

"Far away."

"Ooohh...where're you going?"

"Lee, give it a rest," Gansu chided, as Zuko continued to hammer away. "A man's past is his own business."

"Oh, alright," Lee sighed, disappointed. He only lasted a few seconds before grinning. "So how'd you get that scar?"

"Lee!" Gansu scolded.

Iroh, who was sitting on the roof and observing, looked over to Zuko worriedly. His nephew didn't seem phased though, almost as if he'd been expecting the question. Zuko stared at the nail he'd been hammering silently before speaking.

"When I was 13," he began, "I opened my mouth without thinking in front of a powerful firebender. I wasn't prepared for the consequences."

Lee looked disheartened and guilty hearing that. "Oh," he said, crestfallen, while Gansu simply looked saddened, as if he wasn't that surprised. Iroh wondered what the man would think if he knew the full story. As a father, he'd probably be a lot more shocked and disgusted, rather than just resigned.

The war had taken much from them all.

* * *

After dinner, Zuko and Iroh retreated to the barn to sleep for the night. As they settled in, Zuko spoke hesitantly. "Uncle...about what I said when I introduced us. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I know I could never replace—"

Iroh interrupted by turning around and throwing his arms around him. "You don't need to replace anyone, Zuko," he said, eyes watery. "I will never forget Lu Ten, but you are a son in your own right. And I appreciate what you said."

Zuko hugged him tightly, the man who had never lost faith in him even when he was at his absolute lowest, and didn't let go.

* * *

The next morning, Zuko and Iroh awoke to a commotion outside the barn. Zuko peeked his head out, and seeing Gow and his men, motioned for Iroh to stay inside. He didn't want to make more trouble for this family by showing his face and reminding the fake soldiers of their humbling.

Once they left, Zuko and Iroh made their way outside, and were met by the distraught faces of all three of their hosts.

"Did something happen?" Iroh asked worriedly.

"We've received news from the war front." Sela's voice was shaky as she spoke. "Sensu's battalion has been captured."

Zuko looked down at Lee, whose exuberance from their midnight sword lessons had all but vanished.

"I'm going to the front to look for him," Gansu informed. "You're welcome to stay while I'm gone—"

But Zuko shook his head. "You stay," he said quietly. "Your family needs you."

A tortured look spread across the man's face. He was torn. "He could still be alive…" Gansu said, wavering.

"Which battalion was it?" he asked, and the man looked surprised.

"Why?"

"I need to know."

Indecision was evident on Gansu's features, but so was a fragile hope. "The forty fifth. They were stationed in a neighboring village to the west, but if they've been captured, then it's occupied now."

Zuko strapped his swords to his back and walked off. "I'll get your son back," he rasped.

"Wait!" Sela implored. "There will be Fire Nation troops! We can't ask you to do that!"

"You don't have to," Zuko said simply. He turned back and met his uncle's eyes meaningfully. The aged man nodded, and Zuko knew he'd do everything in his power to protect this family while he was gone.

* * *

Sensu was usually not one to regret his decisions. Fighting on the front lines of the war was a choice he'd made knowing what the consequences could be. Still, he couldn't help the sting in his eyes when he imagined his family's reactions to hearing his battalion had been captured.

So he tried not to think about it. It wouldn't do to show weakness here.

He'd nearly given up trying to find a way out of this mess. If there was any earth to bend in this giant metal prison, it would still be a pointless endeavor, what with his arms and legs chained to the wall. So unless he miraculously figured out how to bend metal soon, it was looking pretty hopeless.

Almost as soon as that thought entered his mind, a flash of blue caught his eye, and he turned his head up towards one of the air vents to see an ominous grinning mask.

Before he could so much as shout, the hidden figure had leapt down and severed the chains that held him immobile, and the shackles swiftly followed. Sensu stared warily at his mysterious savior, but the man simply held one finger in front of his masked face in a request for silence that could be seen from every prisoner in the room. With efficiency that would have been frightening were he not seemingly an ally, he went about doing the same to all the bindings, freeing all the prisoners with relative ease.

Once he was done, the unspoken question of _what now_ swept through the now hopeful battalion. The figure in the mask promptly leapt back up to the vent, and for a cynical moment, Sensu wondered if he had freed them just to leave them here with no way out except the cramped air vents, which some of them were not even in good enough shape to reach.

That question was answered when he grabbed a rope inside the air vent and yanked firmly, using his legs to keep himself hoisted up as he slowly and meticulously pulled at whatever load there was inside.

It soon became apparent that the masked figure had thought this through after all. Sensu's eyes widened in surprise as a long net filled with rocks finally fell from the vent, stopping just short of the the floor as the figure seemingly strained to keep it from making too much noise. Finally, he dropped back to the floor and cut the net open, before looking at the stunned prisoners and pointed at the wall. Sensu grinned as he caught onto the plan.

The earthbenders among them managed to form a makeshift battering ram out of the large collection of rocks, and then launched it at the iron wall.

A large dent formed, but the metal stayed firm. The figure rapidly gestured for them to repeat the process, and the earthbenders did so, knowing the guards would have heard them now.

As they continued to hammer away at the wall, the figure strode over to the door, swords in hand, and disabled the guard that barged in before he could so much as shout.

After a multitude of batterings, the metal finally gave, and the prisoners rushed to their freedom, taking out guards with the earth they'd been provided as the masked man followed behind.

* * *

After the escapees went their separate ways, Zuko removed his mask, revealing his face to Sensu and explaining why he was there. Sensu was rather confused as to why he'd go so far to help people he just met, but grateful nonetheless. When the two got back to the village, however, they were greeted by an unwelcome sight. In the middle of the market plaza, Gow held Lee by the scruff of the neck, clearly holding him hostage. It didn't take long to discern why; his followers were all scattered around the plaza, beaten, bruised, and in most cases, unconscious. Across from Gow stood Uncle Iroh, or as he'd been dubbed by Zuko, Ori. The man was in a ready position, but was making no attempts to strike. Zuko immediately understood why; he wouldn't be able to take out Gow _and_ save Lee without his bending.

Seeing as whispers began to break the silence as various villagers recognized him, Sensu decided to take action before their presence was noted by Gow. He swiftly drove his first upward, causing a stone pillar to rise from the ground and strike Gow's hand. The man grunted in shock as he was forced to let go of Lee, only for another large slab of rock to rise from the ground and impact with his torso, ramming him backwards.

Lee's eyes widened as he caught sight of his brother. Gansu and Sela had tears in their eyes as Sensu faced off against Gow.

The thug was able to divert the next earthbending strike with his hammers, at which point Zuko stepped forward and drew his blades. Sensu blocked his way forward with one arm though, and as he turned and saw the angry scowl on the elder brother's face, Zuko complied with the silent request and stepped back.

The earthbending bout was short and brutal. While Gow was able to bully most travelers and villagers into compliance, it was clear that he was no match against an experienced earth kingdom soldier, even if he liked to call himself one. It ended with Gow coughing and wheezing in the dirt, cradling a broken arm, his hammers sprawled on the ground to the side, and a boulder hovering over his head. Sensu roughly pulled him to his feet so that they were face to face.

" _Never_ come back here," he said in a low and dangerous tone, before throwing him to the side. The thug scrambled to his feet, choosing his life over his broken pride, and left. The crowd that had gathered around cheered, some celebrating the return of a soldier they'd thought to be dead, and others just happy that Gow and his men could no longer terrorize them.

Zuko and Iroh were thanked profusely by Gansu, Sela, and Lee, ecstatic to have their last family member back. When Zuko returned the knife that Lee had foolishly pulled on Gow, the boy hugged him tightly.

When the two left the village, Iroh had a small smile on his face as he watched Zuko let out a small sigh of contentment.

"Better?" Iroh asked knowingly.

Zuko rolled his eyes but nodded. "Better," he admitted.

* * *

AN: Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I don't know when the next update will be, but I'll try to get to it soon. Happy belated new year!


	7. A Chase Thwarted

Alright, welcome back! This is the point where we'll be following the actions of the Gaang more closely from now on. I know I've been neglecting them a bit in favor of Zuko and Iroh, but that should be rectified soon, seeing as their paths are about to converge again.

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter VII: A Chase Thwarted

"Zuko, are you quite sure young Aang and his friends will he headed this way? There seem to be some signs of Fire Nation activity nearby."

"I'm sure," Zuko replied. "The Fire Nation activity is probably Azula. She'll be on the Avatar's trail by now."

Iroh frowned worriedly. "That will be problematic," he said. "Especially if you are right about her recruiting Mai and Tai Lee."

Zuko looked saddened at the reminder of the two girls, who had practically been forced into Azula's following under the unconvincing guise of an old friend calling in a favor.

"Yeah," was all he said, and the two fell into companionable silence. They had arrived in Gaoling only to realize they had missed Aang and his friends by about a day, if the talk of the town was anything to go by. Even if he knew where they were going, it was hard to keep up with them, especially now that he only knew the general direction they'd be headed in. Between ostrich horses and Appa, there was no competition when it came to speed.

Taking into account that they'd had to sell their ostrich horses because of the terrain, it was getting difficult to stay on their trail.

Well, this certainly brought back memories.

As they trudged through the wooded clearing, Zuko caught a patch of white off to the side.

"Jackpot."

* * *

"Who _are_ these guys chasing us?" Toph growled for about the fifth time as they rode away from the suspicious vibrations on Appa. "And how do they keep tracking us down?"

They were all weary, sleep deprived, and ready to snap at the most trivial of annoyances. If this unyielding chase was a battle of attrition, it was clear that they were losing.

"Do you think it could be Zuko?" Katara asked. "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

"Zuko? Who's that?" Toph enquired.

"Just some angry jerk with a ponytail that tracked us all over the world," Sokka answered.

Aang suppressed the urge to remind the two that they had last parted with Zuko on decent terms. He was way too tired to get into that argument now of all times.

"Well, I say whoever it is, we face them head on," Toph declared. The more we drag this out, the more exhausted we'll be when they finally pin us down. Plus, this is cowardly."

"Toph, we're in no shape to fight right now either way. We just need to shake them and hope they don't find us this time."

When they landed again, they decided to forego setting up camp, and simply get some much needed sleep. That lasted all of ten seconds before Toph groaned and alerted them to the fact that their pursuers were approaching _again_.

"Toph's right," Aang said. "We need to face them head on and find out who they are."

As the large tank drew closer, the four readies themselves for a fight. Soon, three familiar figures emerged from the tank.

The three girls from Omashu.

"We can take 'em," Toph claimed, widening her stance. "Three on three."

"Uh, Toph? There are four of us."

"Oh, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all?"

" _I can still fight!_ "

"Fine. Three...on three plus Sokka." Before Sokka could respond to the unnecessary jab, a voice shouted out from above them.

"Are you sure you're not miscounting?" They watched in shock as a familiar firebender, at least to three of them, flew overhead, propelling himself with flames from his hands and feet. Passing by them, he performed a flip in midair as he launched an arc of fire from his leg towards the girl in the middle, who swiftly shot forward and dispelled it."

"Um, guys? Who is _that_?"

" _That_ is Zuko," Sokka informed, eyes narrowed.

Toph's unseeing eyes blinked in surprise. "Oh."

In front of them, the three girls all had different reactions to the new arrival. The girl on the right, who'd had a bored look on her face, now stared with wide eyes as her face rapidly lost all color.

The one on the left, who'd had a happy go lucky expression until now, was simply staring in confusion.

The one in the middle, who'd had a condescending smirk, now glared murderously.

"Zuko. I should have figured you'd show up where you're not wanted. Though I suppose this just makes things easier for me, doesn't it?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "And where exactly is our treacherous uncle?"

"Who knows. He probably got lost," Zuko replied, though as he said it, his eyes drifted off to the left.

Azula, ever the observant one, quickly spun in the direction her brother's eyes had wandered, only for Iroh to appear from the _right_ the moment she'd turned her back to him. Azula only had time to summon a shield of blue flames to block the barrage of fire that assaulted her, blowing her backwards. Mai and Tai Lee both immediately created some distance, eyeing the firebending master warily.

Azula had already recovered and righted herself. She began to engage Iroh in a firebending duel as Zuko landed in front of Mai and Tai Lee.

"It's been quite a while, hasn't it?" Zuko asked. "It's good to see you two again, though the circumstances could have been better."

Unsure of herself, Tai Lee raised her hands in preparation, recognizing that Zuko was an enemy in this situation, but slightly reluctant to engage him all the same.

Mai sighed, having gotten over her shock. "Why are you doing this, Zuko? I thought you wanted to come home."

"Didn't Azula tell you? I'm a wanted criminal now. My father wants me home in _chains_."

Mai winced. "There was still a chance, had you helped us," she said, voice hollow.

"I know. It's complicated, Mai, and I'm sorry. But this is the path that I've chosen."

Realizing that he was resolute, Mai gave a reluctant nod, and with saddened eyes, drew her knives.

Zuko drew his swords.

Tai Lee dashed forwards.

Zuko blocked a dagger with one blade before ducking under Tai Lee's attempt to block his chi. His swords gleamed menacingly as they slashed at her extended arm, forcing her to retract the limb and retreat. And so it went, the prince deflecting thrown projectiles from Mai and keeping Tai Lee's arms at a distance as he ducked, weaved, rolled, and parried. One dagger was perfectly deflected in such a way that it changed its course, forcing the acrobat to dodge it.

He never went on the offensive. Not that there were many openings to do so.

As Mai readied another knife, a stone pillar erupted from the ground and knocked it out of her hand.

"Are we just going to sit around and watch!?" Toph demanded, seeing that her companions were still in too much shock over the proceedings to do much of anything.

Splintering shards of rock erupted from the ground beneath Mai, who was forced to leap out of harm's way, though she still received a gash across her wrist.

Tai Lee reacted to the new threat, leaping into the air in an attempt to chi block Toph from above. With narrowed eyes, Toph proceeded to prove she was far from helpless even when she couldn't see her opponent. She raised an earth dome over herself, causing the acrobat's palm to collide with solid rock instead, eliciting a wince of pain. The dome of rock then shattered from within, sending Tai Lee careening back towards Mai, where she somehow managed to land on her feet.

This caused Aang, Katara, and Sokka to snap out of whatever trance they'd been in, and send their own attacks at the duo, who were hard pressed to defend against them all.

Meanwhile, Iroh was playing a purely defensive game against Azula in an attempt to wear her down. Realizing he was stalling, Azula increased the ferocity of her attacks, but Iroh wasn't a master for nothing. Every barrage of flames was parried, and every close range endeavor thwarted. She knew better by now than to simply throw lightning at the man, having assumed that Zuko had learned how to redirect it from _someone_. Neither were making any headway, but then, only one of them was really trying to, and she was losing steam.

It was only when Zuko joined his uncle that she grudgingly admitted to herself that it was time for a tactical retreat.

She called for Mai and Tai Lee, who disengaged from their losing battle. Zuko and Iroh simply stood aside and let them leave, though they stayed on guard until they were out of sight.

* * *

"Hey, nice moves, Sparky!" Toph said with a friendly grin, a dire contrast to the reactions of the other three members of their group.

"Um...I can't believe I'm saying this, but...thanks Zuko," Aang said awkwardly.

"Anytime. Though you should thank my uncle too."

"Oh, right. Thanks, um…"

"Call me Uncle Iroh!" Iroh said, beaming.

"Thanks Iroh," Sokka said dully, pointedly neglecting to call him uncle. He then turned to Aang. "Not to dampen the victory, but we're not out of the woods yet. We still don't know how they kept finding us."

"The same way I found you," Zuko said, holding up a clump of Appa's fur. "She's been following a trail."

"Who is _she_ , exactly?" Katara demanded.

"Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation," Zuko responded. "And...my sister." Aang, Katara, and Sokka all gaped at him, while Toph whistled.

"Sibling rivalry much?" the blind girl said.

"You have a _sister_? And she's even crazier than you are!?" Sokka exclaimed.

"...I guess?" was Zuko's reply.

"Ok, let's focus," Katara said, her exhaustion showing. "We need to clean Appa's fur. Do you two know if there's a stream nearby?"

Zuko shot her a dull look. "You tell me. You're the waterbender."

Katara flushed, but took the advice and closed her eyes to focus. So what if she was a bit absent minded right now? She was _tired_ , dammit! Soon she let out a breath and pointed to the nearest water source.

"That way."

* * *

"So, is this happening?" Sokka asked as they washed Appa off in the rather large stream, the sun just barely peeking out over the horizon. "Are we really just letting Prince Zuko hang out in our camp and treating him like an ally?"

"Pretty much," Aang replied.

"Ok, just checking."

"Duh, why wouldn't we?" Toph asked, not seeing the problem. "Did you see those two back there? They were whooping major ass!"

"That's exactly the problem, Toph," Katara said quietly. "He hasn't been the type of character we could trust in the past. It's only now that he's showing this sudden willingness to help. With everything else that's happened, if he turned on us and we weren't prepared for it...I don't even want to think about it."

Toph gave her a dubious look, before turning back towards the campsite where Zuko and Iroh were lazing about. "Hey, Zuko!"

"What!?" the prince shouted back over the rippling of water.

"Are you gonna betray us!?"

"No!"

Toph turned back, satisfied. "See? He's fine."

Katara stared at her in incredulity.

"What? Human lie detector, remember? Face it, you guys are just overreacting."

"I agree," Aang spoke up. "I know we've had our differences in the past, but he genuinely seems to want to help now. That's enough for me."

Sokka sighed. "Yeah, I guess he did pull our butts out of the fire earlier. So...trust him?"

"Trust him," Aang confirmed, whilst the other two nodded.

"...I can hear you, you know!"

As the group finished setting up camp, the two firebenders volunteered to take watch, allowing Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph to finally get some much needed and well earned sleep.

* * *

AN: Well, I didn't think I'd be updating this early, but it's amazing what some free time and inspiration can accomplish.


	8. Overcoming Obstacles

Chapter VIII: Overcoming Obstacles

Katara awoke with a large yawn. Resisting the urge to snuggle into her sleeping bag and fall back asleep, she quietly exited her tent and got ready to start making breakfast. With half lidded eyes, she stumbled over to her supply bag, when a tantalizing aroma caught her attention.

"Good morning!" a jovial voice greeted.

Barely holding in an undignified squeak, she spun around to come face to face with Iroh, who was already up and seemed to be in the process of making tea. Zuko stood next to him, hovering above what was revealed to be the source of that amazing smell. The prince looked up and briefly met her eyes, giving her a small nod which she wasn't sure whether she wanted to return or not.

"Um...good morning. You two are up early," Katara said, fidgeting nervously. _Damn it Katara, stop acting so flighty! Act like the waterbending master you are!_

If either of them noticed their discomfort, they didn't show it. "We rise with the sun," Zuko said automatically. Katara's eyes narrowed slightly at the familiar phrasing, but decided not to comment on it. Zuko seemed to have realized his slip-up as well, pausing in the middle of his cooking, but continued when she said nothing, almost seeming thankful.

"So you get up this early every morning?" Katara asked instead. "What if you didn't get enough sleep?"

"Then we don't get enough sleep," Zuko answered. "But the sun makes up for it either way." He gained a thoughtful look for a moment. "You know that feeling you get when the sun is shining down on your face, giving you energy? Imagine feeling like that whether you're inside or outside. We could be underground and still feel the sun rising. It's like a constant celestial fuel that gives us strength as long as it's in the sky."

Katara stared in wonder as Zuko continued making breakfast. Although she wouldn't admit it outright, the explanation fascinated her. She knew what it was like whenever the moon was in the sky; it was invigorating. If she got that rush of energy every morning, she'd probably wake up early too.

"Would you like to help?" Zuko asked, and Katara realized quite abruptly that she was just standing there staring at him.

"Oh, um..." she looked down at the foreign meal being prepared. "I'm not really familiar with what you're making."

"I'd imagine not! It's Fire Nation cuisine," Iroh explained. "But it never hurts to learn, you know."

Katara gave him a small smile and accepted.

* * *

Aang woke excitedly from his sleep. Today was the day he'd finally start to learn earthbending with Toph, and he was eager.

Toph seemed to have a similar attitude, as she burst from her earth tent with gusto.

"Good morning earthbending student!" she shouted, much to the snoozing Sokka's dismay.

"Morning, Sifu Toph! So, what am I gonna learn first? How to make a mudslide? Or a rockalanche? Oh! How about—"

"Let's start with... _move a rock_."

"Oh! Good idea?"

Toph began drilling Aang on the basics of earthbending, namely being steady and stubborn, like a rock.

When he actually attempted to move the rock though, the result was less than satisfactory. He ended up hitting the rock with a blast of air, which only sent him hurtling backwards himself.

Aang was hardly deterred, brainstorming different ways of approaching the training, but was stopped short by Toph.

"See, that's your problem. There's no different angle, no clever solution, no trickity trick that's gonna move that rock. You have to stop thinking like an airbender.

This led to a series of ineffective drills in which Toph attempted to beat the concept of "stand your ground" into Aang's head. The monk proved far too passive by nature, however, and kept falling back on his airbending skills. They had made no headway by the time they were called for breakfast, leaving Toph annoyed and Aang slightly depressed.

As they gathered around, Katara handing everyone their portions, Sokka failed to read the mood and asked about Aang's earthbending progress.

"Oh. Uh...it's going...ok? I guess," the airbender replied.

"He's made zero progress," Toph said bluntly, causing Aang to hang his head in defeat.

"You know Toph," Katara began, "In my experience so far teaching Aang, he seems to respond best to positive reinforcement. A gentle nudge in the right direction if he's doing something wrong. Maybe you could try being a little more...supportive?"

"That won't work," Zuko spoke up, causing everyone to turn to him in question. "That method might have been well and good for waterbending, but from what I've seen, Aang's a natural at it. When it comes to an opposite element though, what's needed is a change in mindset. If you coddle him too much, he's never going to make that change."

Katara glared at him. "Ok, so what do _you_ think we need to do, since you're clearly such an expert on teaching the Avatar?"

"Well, that depends on what the root of the problem is," Zuko replied, ignoring the jab. "Is there a specific concept he's struggling to grasp?"

Aang sighed. "I just can't seem to stand my ground!" he said in frustration. "All my life the monks taught me to be detached and free, like the wind. Now I'm supposed to be grounded and rigid, like a rock?"

Iroh hummed. "Previous incarnations of the Avatar spent many years studying not just the four elements, but their respective cultures and lifestyles. It's really no surprise that you are having trouble attuning to earth, your opposite element, in such a short amount of time. It's a huge adjustment."

"Well, that doesn't really help us," Toph grumbled.

"From what I've seen, Aang's fight or flight reaction _is_ heavily geared towards flight," Zuko commented, causing the air nomad to pout. "But there are also occasions when he can be pretty headstrong." This caught everyone's attention.

"Really?" Toph asked. "I don't think I've seen that side to him."

"That's because you've never backed him into a corner," Zuko said dryly. "In my experience, the only way to get this guy to stand his ground is to give him no other way out. Once he acknowledges that the only option is to fight, it won't take long for him to forget that he's a monk."

Toph looked visibly interested in Zuko's explanation, and Aang started to feel uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had suddenly taken.

"You know, I think I _have_ been going about this the wrong way," Toph said with a grin, before stomping one foot on the ground.

"Aauugh!" Aang was promptly buried down to his armpits in the ground, only his arms, head, and shoulders sticking out.

" _Toph!_ " Katara shouted indignantly, appalled by this new training method.

"Well Twinkle Toes, there are only two earthbenders here. You, and me," Toph reminded him. "Which means that since _I'm_ sure as hell not gonna get you out of there, it's up to you to dig yourself out of the hole you're in!" The girl then walked off, laughing maniacally.

Zuko rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "This...isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"You just had to help, didn't you?" Katara said, before getting up. "I'm gonna go get some water from the river. I should be able to soften the dirt enough for him to get out." As Katara walked away, Zuko sat down in front of Aang.

"This is a problem," Zuko said seriously, causing Aang to raise an eyebrow.

"Gee, you think? I'm in a hole."

"Not that. Your passiveness. Toph is being a bit extreme, but she's not wrong. I realize that you're a pacifist and that you don't like fighting, but sometimes in life, the only way to achieve peace is to dig your feet into the ground and refuse to give a single inch."

A knot of dread settled in Aang's stomach as he realized this wasn't just about learning earthbending anymore. Thinking back to their conversation in the Spirit Oasis, Aang averted his gaze.

"I don't know if I can do that," Aang said miserably.

"Then the Fire Lord has already won," Zuko stated simply, causing Aang to recoil and look at him in shock. Zuko's gaze bore into him, and he began to understand how serious this character flaw was from the firebender's perspective. Off to the side, Sokka watched the proceedings in curiosity, while Iroh looked on with a grim countenance.

"What were you planning to do when you faced him?" Zuko asked, cutting to the heart of the matter. "Even if you master all four elements, do you think he's just going to surrender peacefully? If that's your plan, then you may as well give up now, because you don't know him like I do."

"What are you saying?" Aang whispered.

"The only way to end this war is to kill Fire Lord Ozai," Zuko said simply. "And if you can't do that, the world is doomed. I know you've probably been hearing this a lot lately, but do you really understand what that means? Let me paint the picture for you. Katara, Sokka, and Toph all _dead_ , along with everyone you care about. Their bodies burned beyond all recognition. All because of that madman's unquenchable thirst for power and destruction."

Aang's pupils had dilated in horror, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Sokka was visibly straining not to intervene and end this conversation that was causing his friend so much discomfort.

Iroh looked indecisive as well. "Zuko, perhaps this isn't the best way—"

"No Uncle, he needs to hear this," the prince insisted, rising to his feet and staring down at Aang imposingly. "You were taught all your life that violence isn't the answer. But you know what? Sometimes it _is_. Because when push comes to shove, the only thing you can really do is shove back. And that means _standing your ground_. There will come a time when the only thing standing between the Fire Lord and your friends is _you_."

It was like a switch had been flipped. In one swift motion, Aang bent himself out of the hole, the earth responding to his motions as naturally as the air in his lungs, and landed heavily on his feet, stance wide and fists tightening.

"I _won't_ let that happen!" the avatar proclaimed.

"Good," Zuko said. "Then go find Toph and tell her you're ready to continue. And this time, don't wimp out."

Aang nodded in determination, and stomped once on the ground, causing the earth to shoot up and propel him away.

A minute later, Katara returned, an abundance of water hovering beside her as she walked.

"Ok, I'm back, now we can...where's Aang!?"

"He figured it out," Zuko said simply, grabbing his breakfast and walking away.

* * *

Aang and Toph made full use of their first day of practice, getting in as much as they could, until finally, the sky began to darken. For a while Zuko was content to sit and watch with the rest of the group, but eventually he grew restless and went off on his own. His mind was abuzz, and he let the thoughts drift. In his youth, he had often cut himself off from thoughts he deemed distracting, such as doubts or reservations. Now, he acknowledged that there was a time and place for them.

Since he had just helped Aang deal with the whole standing his ground thing, he might as well freely admit that he had an unresolved issue of his own, and although it was related to his bending, it also went much deeper. He hadn't been able to focus on the problem recently, but now was as good a time as ever.

Absently noting that the sun had almost gone down, Zuko stopped at the edge of a rocky cliff, took a deep breath, and centered himself. He cleared his mind of all thoughts as his arms went through a set of familiar motions. Blue sparks danced at his fingertips as they moved back and forth, separating the positive and negative energies in his chi. Breathing steadily, he allowed the opposite energies to crash back together as he struck two fingers outward.

A loud explosion rung in his ears, and he was blasted backwards, his clothes singed, and his feet barely finding purchase in time for him to avoid falling over as he skid backwards across the rocky terrain.

Zuko grit his teeth as he straightened. He wouldn't feel discouraged though. This is what he'd come out here to fix. He took a deep, fortifying breath, and recalled his Uncle's words from another lifetime. He needed clarity of mind to master cold blooded fire. This was a concept that Zuko had struggled with in the past. He was hot blooded by nature, nothing like his father or Azula, at least not when it came to mindset. But Iroh was able to bend lightning as well, so clearly, that wasn't a train of thought worth considering. So what was it that was holding him back?

Zuko breathed out. In reality, he knew. Clarity of mind didn't mean pushing one's issues aside and ignoring them while they went through the motions. That was a cop-out method, the coward's way out. He suddenly felt like a hypocrite. He'd told Aang to stand his ground, and here he was, pushing his troubles aside instead of facing them head on.

The answer was simply, really. He closed his eyes and let the memories flood through his mind.

Katara, spasming on the ground and gasping her breath as lightning ruptured her heart. Eyes wide open in fear, before they lose all trace of life.

Sokka, Toph, Suki...lost in an inferno of flames, burned to the bone until not even ashes remained.

Aang, fallen in battle against Zuko's bastard of a father long before that. The Phoenix King's unhinged laughter as he boasted that the Avatar hadn't had it in him to finish it. The deep rooted horror that overtook them all as they realized that their friend had _lost_.

The crushing weight of guilt and shame as their remaining fighters fell, one by one.

The sun had long since dipped over the horizon. Sobs wracked Zuko's frame as tears flowed slowly down his cheeks.

He'd failed. He'd failed them all.

But he wouldn't fail them again.

His breathing gradually slowed, his sobs quieting, and he felt lighter than he had for a long time. He wiped the tears from his face and exhaled slowly, before going through the same motions again.

The sparks at his fingertips were noticeably larger this time. Like a loyal servant, the positive and negative energies heeded his command.

A bright flash and loud crack filled the night sky.


	9. A Familiar Face

Chapter IX: A Familiar Face

* * *

"So...you can bend lightning now huh?" While Toph's question wasn't spoken that loudly, it still drew the attention of everyone in the group as they sat around the campfire. As Zuko looked up, he was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't much wariness on their faces, just plain curiosity.

"More or less," he replied, flicking a finger at the fire to increase its size. "I'm still new at it, but I should be able to do it consistently if the need arises."

"Cool," Toph commented. She could always appreciate flashy bending moves, even if she couldn't see the flash.

"Wait, you mean that big crack of thunder from earlier was you?" Aang asked. "I thought there was a storm coming our way or something."

"Wait, so firebenders can bend lightning? Since when?" Sokka asked.

"Well...since always?" Zuko replied. "Only a select few are able to do it successfully though. It requires a high degree of mental discipline."

"That explains why you felt so calm when you released it," Toph said thoughtfully.

Zuko hummed in agreement. If it was anyone other than Toph (or his uncle) that was able to read his state of mind so easily, he'd probably be mortified. But although he hadn't been a part of the group as long as the others in his previous lifetime, he was still somewhat use to her uncanny perception and its lack of an off switch. Honestly, if anyone was to have an ability like that, he was glad it was someone with enough discretion not to mention the wild torrent of emotions that had come _before_ his sudden calmness. Toph never pried unless she thought whatever her friends were hiding could endanger the group, and for that he'd always been grateful.

"So only experienced firebenders can do it?" Katara asked. "How few are we talking?"

"Well, the only firebenders I know currently that can generate lightning are myself, Uncle Iroh, Azula, and Fire Lord Ozai. Though I'd hazard a guess that Master Jeong-Jeong can do it too, even if I've never seen him firsthand."

"You know Jeong-Jeong?" Aang asked, surprised.

Zuko nodded to his Iroh. "My uncle knows him."

"Indeed," Iroh confirmed. "Jeong-Jeong can generate lightning, but he hasn't done so in years. His rather unhealthy view of his own bending gifts has caused much of his talent to go to waste."

"Do you think you can teach me that when it's time for us to begin training?" Aang asked Zuko.

Zuko nodded slowly. "Not right away. But yeah, eventually. Probably after I teach you to redirect it."

"Wait, it can be redirected too?"

"Yep. Even fewer people know how to do that one though. Uncle invented lightning redirection himself, by studying the waterbenders."

This earned a smile from Katara. "You studied the waterbenders, Iroh?"

"But of course! I've spent some time gathering wisdom from all cultures, even the Air Nomads, as much as I could anyway. Gathering knowledge from one source causes it to become fragile and stale."

"So you're saying studying multiple elements can amplify one's bending, even if they can only use one?" Toph asked curiously.

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Iroh beamed.

"I never thought of it like that," Toph admitted.

"Hey, you know what that makes me think of?" Sokka asked. "We have benders of all four elements here now. Why don't you guys compare notes on your bending styles? It might help you put Iroh's words into practice."

"So, what? We just go around talking about how we fight and hope everyone can learn something from it?" Katara asked.

"That's the idea."

"Excellent! Who would like to go first then?" Iroh asked, always ready to encourage an exchange of knowledge.

Everyone stared at Zuko, who looked slightly startled at suddenly being the center of attention. "What?" he asked.

"I think everyone's just curious about the way you fight, Zuko," Aang explained. "Your style is way different now than it was when you used to attack us."

"And besides, being the new guy means you have to volunteer for this stuff first!" Toph chimed in.

Zuko shot her a dry look. "I've known everyone here longer than you have."

"As enemies. Doesn't count!"

"Fine…" he grumbled. "Fire is mainly an offensive element. It's not as good at defending as earth or water, or as predisposed towards evading as air is. Because of of that, firebending forms are fast paced and aggressive. Firebending comes from the breath, so regulating your breathing is the key to maintaining that bending speed without tiring out."

"Other than that, fire is also the only element that comes from inside you, rather than from an outside source, which means that it drains your chi reserves the fastest. That's another reason why it's better for offense. Ideally, firebenders need to be able to disable their opponents before they run out of steam."

"My style specifically is less aggressive than most firebending forms, because it relies less on being able to end a fight quickly. It's more balanced, I guess." He paused for a moment. "As for why my fighting style changed recently...it's mostly because I gained new understanding of my own element. Before, I was viewing my inner fire as a tool to accomplish my goals. Recently I've come to realize that it's so much more than that. Fire is life. It's like the spark of vitality inside each and every living thing. Once I accepted it as an inherent part of me and stopped thinking of it as something I needed to wrestle with everyday, my bending started coming to me more naturally."

As he looked up from the fire, he noticed everyone but Iroh and Toph staring at him with wide eyes.

" _What?_ " he asked again.

"That was too good!" Aang bemoaned. "How are we supposed to follow that speech?"

"Don't blame me! You guys are the ones who wanted me to go first!"

"So the reason your bending improved so much is because you changed your mindset?" Katara asked.

Zuko just shrugged in response, knowing that if he outright lied and said yes, Toph would catch it. From the furrowing of her brow, he could tell she felt something was off anyway, but at least the others seemed to accept his vague answer. He didn't feel quite ready to tell everyone about his circumstances. Their bond of trust had just recently been formed, after all.

Katara was deep in thought. While that did explain a few things, something about it still didn't seem right to her. Aang and Sokka seemed to have accepted the explanation easily enough, but they hadn't witnessed just how drastically his behavior had changed in the north.

Granted, they had _all_ noticed how much his bending had improved, but being the only one to have fought him that very same day, only she could really appreciate the sheer disparity.

When she'd fought him, she'd had a clear advantage. She had been fresh out of bending practice, it had been the night of the full moon, and though she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself at the time out of fear of humanizing her enemy, he'd been half frozen to death and as far out of his element as earthly possible, which had rendered his bending stiff and ineffective. Take into account that he'd underestimated her and tried to go straight for Aang…

Well, you couldn't really blame her for being upset about losing that fight.

But then, upon waking, she'd challenged him again in the same place, only for him to suddenly declare himself their ally and then defeat the man spearheading the siege with contemptuous ease in a show of bending that left her speechless. She didn't know exactly what it was, and she was still too uncomfortable around him to ask, but _some_ strange force had altered every aspect of his being.

She decided not to question it too much. She would take this level headed, borderline friendly and useful ally over the Prince of Tantrums who had hunted them from one end of the globe to the other any day.

The four benders continued to share information about their bending styles. When Toph talked about her ability to be more in tune with the earth than pretty much any other bender in existence, Zuko spoke up again.

"Hey Toph. Have you ever tried bending metal?" he asked.

The question drew a look of interest from the girl. "Metal? Using earthbending? I'm not sure if that's possible. At least, I've never heard of an earthbender that could do it."

"True, but like you said, there aren't many benders who are sensitive to their element as you are. Metal is just earth that's been refined and purified. In theory, if you can sense the remnants of earth inside the metal, you should be able to bend it."

"Hey, nice thinking, Sparky. I'll have to give that a try some time."

Sokka grinned. "See? We're already learning things!"

* * *

A week had passed since Aang had begun learning earthbending, and he had so far gotten the basics down. During that time, the group had ventured deeper into the Earth Kingdom. Katara was now expressing concern over their supplies, which were running low, leading Sokka to bemoan their less than ideal financial situation. It was at that moment that Zuko helpfully intervened.

Which lead to the entire group, minus Toph, staring at him in wonder.

"You two have... _how_ much money?" Aang asked.

"About 80 gold pieces left," Zuko repeated.

Iroh looked like he was struggling to hold in laughter as they continued to stare. Let it be known that Sokka's impression of a fish was extremely convincing.

"That's...more than we've spent since the start of our journey!" the Water Tribe boy protested, lamenting the sheer levels of unfairness. "And you just... _happen_ to have it on hand?"

"If it makes you feel any better, it's the Fire Lord's money," Zuko replied. At Sokka's questioning stare, he clarified. "Leftover funds from my mission to capture Aang."

Toph snorted. "And we're gonna use it to help him? Now that's some poetic justice."

Sokka blinked. "Actually, you know what? That makes me feel a _lot_ better. Thanks."

"That means we can actually buy whatever we need for once," Katara said thoughtfully.

Zuko stared at them dubiously. "How have you been keeping up with supplies until now?" he asked.

"Mostly we just make the most of what people give us whenever we stop somewhere," Aang said cheerfully.

Now it was Zuko's turn to stare. "People...just _give_ you supplies?"

"Perks of being the Avatar!" Aang confirmed.

That made sense, Zuko supposed. When he'd been with the group, the Earth Kingdom had already fallen, and was therefore in no position to be aiding them in such a way. They'd mostly been traveling in Fire Nation territory, where they weren't very likely to be getting free supplies for their efforts in bringing down the Fire Lord.

"Alright, where's the nearest town we can stop at?" Katara asked, pulling out a map of the Earth Kingdom.

"There's one a bit west of that huge desert," Sokka supplied. "Fira Taun."

Their destination decided, the group packed up everything on Appa and took flight.

* * *

"This place is pretty lively," Katara commented, as they walked through the market square. The town was bustling with activity, and generally gave off the vibe that it had been left relatively unscathed by the war.

Toph, catching her meaning, felt the need to correct her. "Only on the surface," the girl muttered, feeling everything at once through the vibrations in the ground.

Zuko and Iroh both took a glance around, and instantly saw what she meant. Though hard to spot, the signs were there: the weariness on many people's faces, the odd child running across the marketplace, dressed in rags, the way most people tended to turn away from the sight…

Aang, Katara, and Sokka soon caught on as well, as they grew more somber.

"This place is a lot like Gaoling," Toph said. "They're in good enough shape that they can pretend the war doesn't exist. The difference is they're in a location where refugees would inevitably be passing by on the way to Ba Sing Se."

"And so the solution is to pretend _they_ don't exist," Zuko concluded, tone hard. Toph nodded.

They walked without a word until Sokka broke the awkward silence. "Ok gang, I think it might be more efficient to split up and divide some money between us. We can all buy whatever we think is necessary that way."

Katara shot him a look. "You just want to go on a spending spree without anyone telling you otherwise."

"I'm going to concede that point."

Iroh laughed. "I'm sure it's no big deal. We have plenty to spend at the moment, after all."

Zuko shrugged. "Fine with me," he said, before dividing up a portion of the money, giving everyone a couple gold pieces.

They went their separate ways, agreeing to meet back where they'd left Appa outside of town. Zuko opted to browse through a weapons store. He examined the shelves with a critical eye in search of something specific, his eyes finally landing on a sword that looked a lot like Sokka's space sword from the future, though it was made from refined steel instead of that insanely durable meteorite alloy. While it wasn't the highest quality sword he'd ever seen, it would be a good investment towards Sokka's training. Zuko was planning on teaching the Water Tribe boy some swordsmanship early, even if he wasn't nearly as good a teacher as Master Piandao. Hopefully this would help convince him that he wasn't useless just because he wasn't a bender.

He pulled out the required 8 gold pieces and paid the vendor, walking out with the sword strapped to his hip. As he exited the shop, he felt a tug on the back of his shirt, and turned around to see a girl in rags, who could be no older than ten. She looked like she was ready to bolt as he locked eyes with her, but steeled herself and held out her hands, beseeching.

Zuko gave her a friendly smile and dropped a single gold piece into her palms. She stared at the valuable shining metal with innocent wonder, and then grinned widely up at him.

"Thank you!" She quickly ran off to the nearest food market, the prospect of a full stomach hastening her steps.

"Excuse me?" Zuko froze as he registered the familiar voice from behind him. _Is that…?_

He turned around and barely managed to keep a straight face as his suspicions were confirmed. _Suki!?_

There she was, staring at him with a clearly false smile, looking like its presence on her face was straining her.

"Could I ask you for a favor?" she asked, pointing at a nearby alleyway.

 _Well that's not a red flag at all._

She had clearly recognized him, which wasn't exactly a hard thing to do for anyone who's seen his face before. But she was probably relying on the fact that he didn't recognize _her_ , since she'd been wearing face paint the last time she saw him.

When he'd burned down her village.

 _I don't think there's way this can go well,_ Zuko thought, holding in a groan. He decided to follow her. He didn't want his identity revealed here, out in the open.

They walked into the alleyway, and Zuko caught her fingering the bladed fans hidden in her sleeves.

 _Great. She's expecting a fight._

They both stopped, and Zuko cleared his throat. "Thanks for not making a scene," he said, trying to dissuade her from attacking.

The girl stiffened, and Zuko realized his error. Revealing that he knew who she was would only trigger a fight or flight reaction. _Stupid!_

Suki whirled around, whipping out her fan in a practiced motion. Zuko was already drawing his Dao swords, and the metallic clang rang through the alleyway as he smoothly blocked the bladed weapon with his own.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Shopping," Zuko answered.

" _Really_ ," she said scathingly. "In an Earth Kingdom town?"

"I'm not exactly welcome in my homeland."

"So I've heard," she said, pulling out a wanted poster of him labeled _Dead or Alive_. "Why is a Prince wanted by his own nation?"

"Word is I'm a traitor to my country."

"And are you?"

"That's a matter of perspective."

She didn't seem satisfied by his vague answers.

"And letting me drag you into this alley? What was that about?"

"I don't want to cause a commotion here any more than you do, Warrior of Kyoshi."

"But you're still hunting the Avatar?" The pressure against his sword increased, but his his grip held firm.

"No."

She looked skeptical. "Why should I believe you?"

"I guess you wouldn't. But you can ask him yourself, since I'm traveling with him."

She looked taken aback. "Sokka, Aang, and Katara are _here_?" He nodded, and her eyes narrowed. "Take me to them."

As he exited the alley and headed back towards Appa, one sword on his hip and one Kyoshi Warrior in tow, one thought flitted through his mind. _Sokka is going to be overjoyed._


	10. The Vision Revisited

Chapter X: The Vision Revisited

Aang sighed, his arms crossed as he leaned against Appa. The giant bison mimicked the sound, only he was likely doing so out of lazy contentment as opposed to Aang's nerves.

The airbender was already back at their meeting spot. Having been raised as a monk, he wasn't really the type to go on spending sprees, being more detached from worldly possessions than most. Not only that, but he found himself in one of his rare bouts of depression, which put him in less of a mood to spoil himself with the money he'd been given.

Katara and Sokka would say he was being silly. They'd tell him not to let it get to him, and to lighten up and have fun, respectively.

But they hadn't seen what he had.

His head dipped as he thought back to the group's conversation regarding Zuko's lightning bending.

" _Uncle invented lightning redirection himself…"_

He hadn't thought much of it then, despite the nagging itch in the back of his mind. Perhaps it had been his intrigue in the discussion about different bending styles, or the hope that blossomed in him as a result of people of all elements sitting in a circle and civilly talking about their bending. But after the group had split up, it had fully sunk in.

" _There was fire everywhere, and Fire Lord Ozai did this weird lightning trick, but Zuko just threw it back."_

He hadn't given much thought to his vision in the swamp in a while...either of them. And of course, Katara and Sokka hadn't noticed the similarities between the vision and reality. How could they? They _hadn't seen it_. Sometimes he hated being the Avatar. Was this his burden to bear alone?

" _I think I was gone…"_

He gritted his teeth. The more time passed, the more realistic his vision in the swamp became. His first had already come true—Toph had become his earthbending teacher. That only leant more credibility to the second. Him gone, Zuko leading the group, everyone taking on his role to fight the Fire Lord, and slowly losing ground…

 _It could happen._

Toph metalbending to combat the Fire Lord's army.

" _Have you ever tried bending metal?"_

Zuko redirecting lightning against Ozai.

" _It can be redirected too?"_

The eerie similarities in his firebending, both in the vision and in reality.

" _Fire is life."_

 _It could really happen._

Was it a warning? Could it be avoided? Or was it destined to occur?

 _No, I can't think like that. There's no way I'll let it turn out that way!_

"Aang!"

The airbender's head snapped upwards at the familiar voice, and his eyes widened.

"Suki…?" he asked numbly. The girl ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's so good to see you!" the Kyoshi Warrior said.

"Yeah," Aang absently replied, when all he could think was _check one more off the list of things that stupid vision got right_.

"Aang, there's something I need to ask you," Suki said, looking nervous.

"What is it?" Aang asked, before he caught sight of the person following leisurely behind Suki.

"Zuko!" he said, relief heavy in his voice. He really needed to talk to someone about his vision, and the firebender would probably give an unbiased opinion.

His relief caught Suki's notice though, and the girl stared, stunned. "So it's true? You two are allies now?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, we're friends now. Heh," Aang responded, before he remembered what happened on Kyoshi Island and paled.

"Um, not that you—"

"It's fine, Aang," Suki said, as if reading his mind. "I haven't forgiven him, but if you trust him, then that's enough for now. I would like to know when this happened though."

Aang exhaled, visibly relieved, and began explaining the incident at the North Pole, along with their escape from Azula.

Zuko wasn't listening though. He felt like he'd taken one of Azula's fire enhanced blows to the gut. He knew that the last time Suki had seen him he'd made a terrible impression. He knew that to earn her forgiveness the first time he'd put his life on the line to help her win her freedom from the Boiling Rock. He knew that she wouldn't forgive him the moment he switched sides this time, because when was it ever that easy?

He _knew_ that. But it still hurt.

Because the last time he'd seen _her_ , they'd been comrades, fighting for a common cause, trusting each other implicitly to have the other's back. He'd been prepared for that to change when he'd come back, been prepared to earn everyone's trust again.

But when it came down to it, he was just so _tired_ of having to prove himself to people that he'd already fought and bled for. He knew it wasn't fair to think that way, because they didn't know. But it was still maddening.

"Zuko, are you ok?" Aang asked, brow furrowed.

Zuko tried not to let his sadness show. This wasn't the time or the place. He took a deep breath, pointedly ignoring the way it shuddered, and the puzzled look Suki was giving him.

"I'm fine, Aang." His voice sounded stronger than he felt, so there was that.

"If you're sure," Aang said, before taking another breath. "Zuko, I need your advice on something."

The firebender blinked. "Ok, sure. What's on your mind?"

Before Aang could ask, a voice interrupted them.

"Hey everyone, we're back!"

The group turned to find Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Iroh heading towards them. Sokka was carrying a pack full of what was sure to be useless junk, while Toph carried food and Iroh helped Katara carry some much needed supplies, along with a brand new Pai Sho set and something Zuko wished he'd never see again.

"Uncle, you bought _another_ Tsungi horn?"

The old man grinned unashamedly. "Well the old one was abandoned along with our ship, so there was little choice, nephew!"

Before Zuko could refute that, Suki dashed forward.

"Sokka!" she shouted, before wrapping her arms around the Water Tribe boy and nearly knocking him off balance. At first Sokka looked confused, but then realization slowly dawned on his face.

"Suki! When did you get here?"

The girl backed up and grinned. "I've been helping refugees on their way to Ba Sing Se. I was actually going to travel to Full Moon Bay pretty soon."

"Ba Sing Se huh?" Sokka said, rubbing his chin. "We haven't been there yet. So you ran into Aang here I guess?"

"Well, actually I ran into Prince Zuko."

Sokka winced, looking back and forth between the two. "And...how'd that go?"

"Perfectly," Zuko said with a snort, before turning back to Aang. "You said you had a question for me?"

Aang took a deep breath and nodded.

"Before you helped us against Azula, I had a vision in giant, spiritual swamp."

Katara and Sokka both sucked in deep breaths, and Aang could only conclude that they had indeed forgotten.

Zuko looked like he didn't want to ask. "Are we talking an _Avatar_ vision, or an _I'm so high on swamp juice I'm seeing things_ vision?"

"As much as I wish it was option two…" Aang's shoulders slumped. "It's the first one. It was real, I just _know_ it was."

"What made you remember it now of all times?" Zuko asked.

"Well, that's the thing. You kind of said some things that mirrored something I saw in my vision."

"Like what?"

"That you can redirect lightning. And that maybe Toph could learn to metalbend."

Zuko's eyes widened. "So...your vision…"

"I saw you, Katara, Sokka, Toph, and Suki fighting the Fire Lord. You redirected his lightning, and Toph used metalbending to fight his soldiers."

Zuko paled.

Toph whistled in appreciation. "So I guess metalbending _is_ possible then. I should really get on that."

Suki looked concerned. "Wait, you said all of us were there? What about you?"

Aang's gaze dropped to the floor, and he didn't answer.

"You were gone." Zuko said, eliciting a feeble nod from the airbender, and a gasp from Suki. Sokka and Katara both grimaced.

"Zuko, I don't know want to do! Do you think this vision is of the future?"

Zuko, to his credit, didn't take long to answer. "If you're asking if I think this will come to pass, then my answer would be no," he replied. Which was the truth. What Aang had seen wasn't going to happen, because it already had. He didn't know how Aang could have seen a vision of an alternate future, but then, he didn't understand much of anything spiritual to begin with.

"But...what could it have meant then? Why would I have a vision like that?"

"If I may," Iroh interjected. "I have some limited experience with the Spirit World, and I must point out that visions such as those are not always so cut and dry."

Aang looked surprised. "Have you had visions like that one, Iroh?"

"Indeed I have. Did you all know that I used to be a Fire Nation General?"

Aang blinked, before shaking his head along with Sokka and Katara.

Toph raised her hand. "I did," she said.

"You did?" Sokka asked.

"Hard not to, if you live in the Earth Kingdom," Toph said. "General Iroh, otherwise known as the Dragon of the West. Lead a 600 day siege on the walls of Ba Sing Se back in the day. We won that battle, but just barely."

"Indeed," Iroh said, a faraway look coming into his eyes as Aang, Sokka, and Katara all gaped at him. "But what the history books did not tell you is why I initiated that battle to begin with. When I was a boy, I had a vision that I would one day conquer Ba Sing Se in the name of the Fire Nation." He looked Aang in the eye. "Needless to say, destiny did not favor that outcome, and seeing as I have no plans of ever attempting it again...you see my point."

"That...makes me feel a bit better," Aang admitted. "But still, it just felt so...urgent. Like someone or something was trying to get a message across."

"Then maybe that's exactly what you should view it as," Zuko said. "A warning."

"You think so?"

"Definitely. Whether or not it comes to pass, all you can really do is try to prevent it. So don't think of it as something that _will_ happen, but as something that _could_ happen. And do your best to make sure it doesn't."

Iroh beamed. "Wiser words have never been spoken!"

Aang let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, you're right. There's no point dwelling on it. I just have to do whatever it takes to stop it." He smiled. "Thanks, Zuko."

* * *

As it turned out, seven people on the saddle was pushing it, even for Appa. It had been a couple days of flying since they had met up with Suki in Fira Taun, and the girl had been traveling with them since. Contrary to Zuko's prediction, she and Sokka were not immediately all over each other. If anything, Sokka had seemed uncomfortable when Suki had gotten a bit affectionate, which had baffled Zuko. He knew relationships didn't usually happen that fast, but it wasn't like Sokka to be bashful. But something was clearly holding him back, which Suki had sensed, leading her to take the hint and cease her subtle advances.

It was strange, but Zuko was anything but a matchmaker, so he'd let that one sort itself out.

"Can you guys remind me why we're thinking about going to Ba Sing Se again?" Toph asked, interrupting Zuko from his musing.

"Because Suki said she was on her way to Full Moon Bay to escort refugees there," Sokka reminded Toph for the third time. "And because we need to find some military leverage in this war. Aang mastering all four elements is well and good, but if we don't have any other allies or militia, we'll have no way of _getting_ to the Fire Lord, much less taking him down. Since Omashu is out of the question right now, our best bet is Ba Sing Se."

Toph grumbled something about stuffy old cities with their walls and rules, but couldn't contest the argument.

Zuko frowned. While Sokka's logic was sound by itself, there was another reason they needed to go there. Azula would be plotting to drill her way into the city at this very moment, and if they didn't go there, she'd most likely succeed. The thought of going back to Ba Sing Se made him uncomfortable, what with all its corruption, Long Feng, the Dai Lee, and the bad memories. But they really had no choice in the matter if they wanted to prevent his father from taking the city.

"Ordinarily I'd be worried about intelligence too," Sokka admitted. "But since we have Zuko and Iroh with us, we don't have to worry about that as much. If anyone knows the Fire Nation, it's them."

"If you guys are going to go straight to Ba Sing Se on Appa, we'll have to go our separate ways," Suki said, sounding a bit sad. "I still have duties to fulfill in Full Moon Bay."

"Oh," Sokka said, disappointed. "Well, it was still great having you with us for a while."

Suki beamed at him, which caused him to blush, then look away in discomfort.

"Actually, now that I think about it," Zuko said. "Where are we going to leave Appa when we enter the city?"

The others looked taken aback, as if they hadn't thought of that.

"Well, when we went to Omashu, we left him outside the walls," he admitted. "But that was only a quick visit, and we'll probably be staying in Ba Sing Se longer than that. Maybe we can convince the guards to let him in?"

"I don't think that will work," Toph said. "I've heard the law enforcement in Ba Sing Se is really strict."

Aang looked panicked now. "But...we can't just _leave_ him somewhere for that long!"

"If you want, I can have some Kyoshi Warriors look after him," Suki offered. "I was going to meet up with them in Full Moon Bay."

"Really? Thanks, Suki!"

"That means we'll need to take the ferry to Ba Sing Se," Iroh reminded them. "Which means we will need to acquire passports."

Toph smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I've got us covered."


End file.
